DEFENCE

Afghanistan and Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel under the age of 18 have been  (a) killed and  (b) seriously injured in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Iraq since the commencement of military operations in each country.

Andrew Robathan: There have been no deaths or casualties sustained on operations in Iraq or Afghanistan of those aged under 18. No Service personnel under the age of 18 are deployed on any operation, outside the United Kingdom, which would result in them becoming engaged in, or exposed to, hostilities. In line with United Nations policy, Service personnel under 18 are not deployed on UN peacekeeping operations.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2010,  Official Report, column 985W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, which companies are sub-contracted by  (a) SEAFAST Logistics and  (b) Purple Foodservice Solutions to transport food and materiel to armed forces serving in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: I am withholding information about sub-contractors which if disclosed could risk the safety of their employees and prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the supply chain and the armed forces.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2010,  Official Report, column 985W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, what regulations govern the sub-contracts placed by SEAFAST Logistics or Supreme Foodservice for transportation within Pakistan and Afghanistan in respect of protection of supply convoys by private military contractors.

Peter Luff: Regulations on the use of private military security companies in Afghanistan and Pakistan are matters for their respective Governments. However, the UK, along with all members of the International Security Assistance Force, expect any private military security company (PMSC) operating in Afghanistan to comply with the regulations laid out by the Government of Afghanistan, which is a signatory of the Montreaux Document on Pertinent International Legal Obligations and Good Practices for States related to Operations of PMSCs during Armed Conflict.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place to provide security to contractor logistic convoys in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence does not make arrangements to provide security for the contractor logistic convoys in Afghanistan.

Armed Forces: Council Tax

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what council tax rebates are available for members of the armed forces serving overseas on operational tours.

Andrew Robathan: All regular and reserve personnel serving in specified operational locations who pay council tax for a property in the UK or contributions in lieu of council tax for service family accommodation can claim payment under the Ministry of Defence's (MOD's) council tax relief (CTR) scheme. From 1 April 2010, the value of the CTR payment made by the MOD direct to the individual, which is tax free, is £148 for an average six-month tour.
	Armed forces personnel serving in qualifying operational locations will also receive the Operational Allowance amounting to £5,281 for a typical six-month tour, as well as free food and accommodation in theatre.
	Under section 13A of the Local Government Finance Act 2003, local billing authorities in England and Wales have the flexibility, if they wish, to grant reductions or exemptions on an individual basis, or for a class of council tax payers.

Armed Forces: Military Decorations

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to begin his Department's review of the awarding of medals; what timetable has been set for that review; and whether the review will include opportunities for the public to make contributions.

Andrew Robathan: I can confirm that the review of the rules governing the award of medals is now under way and will report to me early this year.
	The background and arguments for the institutions of new medals or revisions of eligibility to existing ones are well known and understood by the Ministry of Defence. Indeed we have received many representations from campaigners. Their views will be considered as part of the review.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what level of preserved pension a British soldier with 15 years' service can expect to receive on attaining the age of 60 years; and what level of terminal gratuity such a solder can expect to receive at the end of service.

Andrew Robathan: The Government Actuary Department undertook a series of calculations in 2009. They projected that the annual pension on reaching aged 60 for a rifleman, who retired in 1994, who had served for 15 years and was a member of Armed Forces Pensions Scheme 1975, would be £5,700 per year.
	On the day the pension comes into effect, their 60th birthday, a terminal grant will be paid equating to three times the pension to be paid. In this example the terminal grant would be £17,100.

Armed Forces: Young People

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel under the age of 18 years were stationed overseas in the latest period for which information is available; and in which locations such personnel were stationed.

Andrew Robathan: As at 1 October 2010, there were some 40 members of the regular armed forces under the age of 18 who were stationed overseas, 30 of whom were stationed in Germany and 10 in Cyprus.

Armed Forces: Young People

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel under the age of 18 years requested discharge under the unhappy minors provision in 2009-10; and how many such requests were granted.

Andrew Robathan: 260 personnel left the Army under the unhappy minors' provision in 2009-10. The naval service and Royal Air Force do not hold information centrally on those who leave by this route.
	We are aware of no cases where those under 18 who had expressed a wish to leave the services were unable to do so.

Armed Forces: Young People

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to give persons entering the armed forces under the age of 18 the right to leave on attaining the age of 18 if they consider at the age of 18 that they have been mistaken in their decision to enlist.

Andrew Robathan: There are no plans to change the current policy. Service personnel under 18 years who have completed 28 days of service have the right to discharge at any time before their 18th birthday provided they give the required 14 days notice. A service person under the age of 18 years three months who registered before their 18th birthday, their clear unhappiness at their choice of career can request permission to leave the armed forces. They do not have discharge of right at this age but it is exceedingly rare for such an individual to be refused permission to leave. These safeguards help to ensure that young servicemen or women under the age of 18 years may, if they wish, leave the armed forces and that any commitment to service is both considered and voluntary.

Arms Trade Treaty

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking in preparation for the second Preparatory Committee on the Arms Trade Treaty in February 2011; and which officials of which grades from his Department will attend the Preparatory Committee.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) fully supports the Government's efforts to establish an Arms Trade treaty that will help prevent irresponsible trade in conventional weapons. The MOD is an active member of the cross-Whitehall team led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that is preparing for the Preparatory Committee in February 2011. The UK's delegation will be led by John Duncan, Ambassador for Multilateral Arms Control and Disarmament. The size and make-up of the rest of the delegation will be finalised during January 2011.

Departmental Catering

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on catering in each month since April 2010.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 December 2010
	Catering for Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian personnel employed at UK defence establishments who pay for their food is provided through regional prime contracts administered by Defence Estates or under multi-activity contracts placed by relevant top level budget holders. UK based armed forces personnel are primarily catered for through catering, retail and leisure contracts (incorporating Pay As You Dine arrangements), which are being introduced across the UK. Some 65% of armed forces personnel are catered for under these arrangements. Costing information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	For armed forces personnel not fed under catering, retail and leisure arrangements and for those serving on operations and overseas exercises, there is a single food supply contract with Purple Foodservice Solutions Ltd. The expenditure for April to November 2010, including the cost of food, administration and transport, is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			   Spend (£ million) 
			 April 12.6 
			 May 16.8 
			 June 14.2 
			 July 18.2 
			 August 13.1 
			 September 13.0 
			 October 15.1 
			 November 14.8 
		
	
	The MOD has also procured Operational Ration Packs over the same period for which the expenditure was:
	
		
			   Spend (£ million) 
			 April 5.5 
			 May 7.5 
			 June 1.6 
			 July 2.5 
			 August 3.5 
			 September 7.2 
			 October 2.4 
			 November 4.8

Departmental Catering

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible has spent on catering and refreshments in each month since April 2010.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 December 2010
	 Information on expenditure on catering and refreshments by the Ministry of Defence's non-departmental public bodies is not recorded separately, except in the case of the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees which incurred such expenditure as follows: April to August 2010-not recorded separately, September 2010-£388, October 2010-£429 and November 2010-£61.

Departmental Consultants

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the potential to reduce the costs to his Department of consultants.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 16 December 2010
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is co-operating fully with the Cabinet Office led initiative to reduce consultancy expenditure. It is too early to assess by how much costs will reduce but MOD expenditure on consultants will be published in the normal way at the end of the financial year.

Departmental Energy

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what temperature his Department maintains in offices at Basil Hill Barracks, Corsham.

Andrew Robathan: The Defence Equipment and Support Information Systems and Services Corsham New Environment building, at Basil Hill Barracks, is fitted with a fan-coil system, providing heat in the winter and chilled air in the summer. It is controlled remotely through the building management system and provides an ambient temperature between 19-23 degrees celsius.

Departmental Manpower

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-time equivalent staff his Department employed in  (a) April 2010 and  (b) each subsequent month.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 December 2010
	The following table shows the total full-time equivalent strength of the Ministry of Defence by month from April 2010 to November 2010.
	
		
			  Month  FTE 
			 April 2010 85,850 
			 May 2010 85,640 
			 June 2010 85,360 
			 July 2010 85,180 
			 August 2010 84,880 
			 September 2010 84,500 
			 October 2010 84,090 
			 November 2010 83,890 
			  Note: Totals listed are full-time equivalent and have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: DASA (Quad Service)

Departmental Manpower

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fixed-term appointments his Department has made since May 2010.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 December 2010
	Between 12 May 2010 and 30 November 2010 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) appointed 177 members of staff on fixed-term contracts. In all instances fixed-term appointments are used to reflect the finite nature of the requirement and include casual appointments as well as longer fixed-terms.
	64 of the appointments are apprentices who are employed on limited-term apprenticeship contracts while they undertake their training. Apprenticeship contracts are exempt from the civil service external recruitment freeze. The recruitment of apprentices is part of our continuing commitment to providing the engineering skills needed in the MOD.
	39 appointments are teachers employed on short-term contracts in schools educating the children of servicemen and women in Germany and Cyprus. These contracts all began at the start of the academic year.
	The majority of other appointments are in direct support of ongoing operations in Afghanistan and include medical staff employed in the operational theatre and drivers appointed on a short-term basis in the UK to provide cover for service personnel deployed on current operations.
	Details of special adviser appointments, including names and salaries, are published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/special-adviser-data-releases
	Recruitment to the civil service is regulated by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Act established the Civil Service Commission with the role of regulating recruitment to the civil service, principally through their Recruitment Principles. All those employed since 12 May 2010 have been recruited to the Department have been in accordance with these Recruitment Principles. The Recruitment Principles are available at:
	http://www.civilservicecommission.org.uk/admin/assets/spaw2/uploads/files/Recruitment_Principles.pdf

Departmental NDPBs

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies has spent on redundancy payments since the beginning of May 2010.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 December 2010
	None of the Ministry of Defence's non-departmental public bodies (the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the National Army Museum and the Royal Air Force Museum) have made any redundancy payments since May 2010.

Departmental NDPBs

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimates he has made of the cost of redundancies in each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies in  (a) financial years (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and, (iii) 2013-14 and  (b) each year of the Comprehensive Spending Review period.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 December 2010
	The Ministry of Defence has three executive non-departmental public bodies: the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN), the National Army Museum and the Royal Air Force Museum. The Portsmouth subsidiary of the NMRN (the Royal Naval Museum) is currently implementing a redundancy programme. No expenditure has been made to date but provision of £104,000 has been made in financial year 2010-11. No other redundancies are currently expected or planned for by any of the museums over the period covered by this question.

Departmental Pay

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of his Department's payroll in May 2010; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the payroll in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 16 December 2010
	The payroll cost for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for May was £1,011.502 million. The forecast cost for the whole of this financial year is £12,273.236 million.
	The cost of the payroll in future years will depend on a number of factors, including the number of civilian and military personnel employed. The MOD announced significant reductions to both these numbers in the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Final savings figures will depend on detailed implementation of these reductions, which will be subject to full consultation with all relevant parties, including the trade unions and the devolved Administrations, as well as the results of mandatory assessments on the impact that the measures will have on sustainability, equality and diversity and health and safety. The MOD is therefore not prepared to release more detailed figures at this time.

Departmental Press Releases

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions his Department has provided embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010; in respect of how many such briefings his Department was informed that the embargo had been breached; what steps were taken as a result of each such breach; and on how many occasions his Department has provided media briefings without an embargo prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010.

Andrew Robathan: Since 26 May 2010, the Ministry of Defence has not provided media briefings with or without embargo prior to an oral statement to the House.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the effect of the increase in the standard rate of value added tax on his Department's annual expenditure.

Andrew Robathan: Departmental budgets are set on a tax-inclusive basis. Based on currently planned expenditure, the estimate of the additional expenditure required by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) due to the increased level of value added tax is approximately £38 million in financial year 2010-11.
	It is not possible to produce a precise estimate of the effect on future annual expenditure until the MOD completes its annual planning exercise, which will affect the proportion of departmental spend that is subject to VAT. However, other things being equal, the MOD's best estimate for 2011-12 is £155 million.

Departmental Reviews

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; on what date each such review  (a) was announced and  (b) is expected to publish its findings; what estimate he has made of the cost of each such review; who has been appointed to lead each such review; to what remuneration each review leader is entitled; how many (i) full-time equivalent civil servants and (ii) seconded staff are working on each such review; from which organisations such staff have been seconded; and how much on average such seconded staff will be paid for their work on the review.

Liam Fox: This information is not held centrally. I have tasked my Department to collate this information and I will write to the hon. Member with a full response as soon as this information is collated.
	 Substantive answer from  Peter Luff  to Tom Watson:
	The Secretary of State for Defence undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary question on 15 November 2010, (Official Report, column 559W) with further details of those reviews the Ministry of Defence has undertaken since 6 May 2010. I am responding on his behalf. We have conducted nine such reviews, the details of which are attached here:
	
		
			  Name of the review  Date review announced  Date planned of publication of findings  Estimated cost of the review  Name of individual leading the review  To what remuneration the review leader is entitled  Number of full-time equivalent MOD civilian staff working on the review  Number of full-time equivalent military personnel working on the review  Number of seconded staff working on the review, from which organisations such staff have been seconded, and how much on average such seconded staff will be paid for their work on the review 
			 Strategic Defence and Security Review Announced in the Coalition Programme for Government on 20 May 2010 19 October 2010 In addition to routine staff costs and travel and subsistence, the Department spent £7,000 on a conference to engage NATO and EU partners and £2,200 printing costs for the National Security Strategy and SDSR White Papers. Director General Strategy, Tom McKane was the senior responsible official. None above salary and travel and subsistence costs. 18 8 One member of staff seconded from the US Department of Defense to work on the SDSR and other UK strategy work. Staff costs paid for by the US Government. 
			 One member of staff seconded from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 
			  
			 Trident Value for Money Announced in the Coalition Programme for Government on 20 May 2010. 19 October 2010. Published within SDSR. In addition to military/civilian salaries and travel and subsistence, the Department paid £210,000 in consultancy fees. Rear Admiral Philip Mathias was the senior responsible official. None above salary and travel and subsistence costs. 1 1 None. Consultants were used by the Department but not formally seconded in. The Department uses external consultants only when there is insufficient capacity in house to complete a task in the time scale required. 
			 Green Papers on Equipment, Support, and Technology for UK Defence and Security 20 July 2010; launched on 2 November 2010 Green Paper published on 20 December 2010. White Paper to be published in spring 2011 (planning window is Easter-summer Parliament recess) In addition to routine staff costs and travel and subsistence, there will be an additional £25,000 given for estimated printing costs for the Green and White Papers, and conference costs in February 2011. Director General Commercial, Mr Andrew Manley is the senior responsible official. Head of Industrial Policy Secretariat, Mr Mike Tonnison is managing the project. None above salary and travel and subsistence costs. 4.5 full-time MOD civilian staff working directly on this review. Additional contributions are coming from a number of other MOD and OGD officials as part of their normal day to day duties as subject matter experts. 0 0 
			 Defence Reform Unit's review 13 August 2010 July 2011 but it is likely that reforms will be implemented on a rolling basis over the period of the review. No additional cost to the Defence budget above routine military/civilian salaries and travel and subsistence. Lord Levene Lord Levene and other members of the Defence Reform Unit's Steering Group are not being paid for their work. 20 4 0 
			 Exchange/Liaison Office Review 20 September 2010 Expected March 2011 As yet unknown. Comprises military/civilian salaries, and travel and subsistence. Head of Future and Maritime Team DCDC, Cdre the hon. Cochrane is the senior responsible official. None above salary and travel and subsistence costs. 1 1 0 
			 TA and Reserves Review 19 October 2010. Announced as part of the SDSR announcement in Parliament. Expected June 2011. In addition to military/civilian salaries and travel and subsistence, there will be travel and subsistence costs for Mr Julian Brazier MP and General (Rtd) | Lamb (approx. £500). Vice Chief of Defence Staff and, as his deputy, Mr Julian Brazier MP. None above salary and travel and subsistence costs. 8 4 0 
			 Force Generation Review 13 August 2010 Work will be completed by spring 2011 No additional cost to the Defence budget above routine military/civilian salaries and travel and subsistence. The three Single Service Chiefs alongside the DRU None above salary and travel and subsistence costs. 0 2 0 
			 Youth Engagement Review 19 October 2010. Announced as part of the SDSR announcement in Parliament. Autumn 2011 As yet unknown. Comprises military/civilian salaries, and travel and subsistence. Deputy Chief of Defence Staff for Personnel Youth Study Team Leader, Brigadier James Plastow None above salary and travel and subsistence costs. 0 2 None but there is a possibility some staff may transfer from the Department of Education to assist in the Review. 
			 Review of Service Allowances 16 December 2010 Report to go to Ministers in spring 2011 No additional cost to the Defence budget above routine military/civilian salaries and travel and subsistence. Review Team Leader, Mr Martin Fuller None above salary and travel and subsistence costs. 1 0 0

Departmental Telecommunications

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the potential savings to the public purse of increased use of  (a) telephone and  (b) videoconferencing to replace face-to-face meetings.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 December 2010
	It is too early to say, at this point in the financial year, how much will be saved by the increased use of telephone and video-conferencing to replace face-to-face meetings. But all staff have been asked to avoid travel where the business need can be met in other ways. This new approach both reduces costs and increases productivity.

Departmental Telecommunications

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made by each non- departmental public body for which his Department is responsible of the potential savings to the public purse of increased use of telephone and video-conferencing to replace face-to-face meetings.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 December 2010
	 It is too early to say, at this point in the financial year, how much will be saved by the Ministry of Defence's non-departmental public bodies through increased use of telephone and video-conferencing to replace face-to-face meetings. But all staff have been asked to avoid travel where the business need can be met in other ways such as telephone and video conferencing. This new approach reduces costs and increases productivity.

Departmental Travel

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on grey fleet in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Andrew Robathan: Expenditure on the grey fleet was some £34 million in 2008-09 and £32 million in 2009-10. This expenditure represents the cost of fixed mileage rates through which service and civilian personnel are assisted with the expenses they incur when using a privately owned vehicle for travel on official Ministry of Defence business. The figures do not include the reimbursement of any parking or toll charges, where incurred, as we do not break down such expenses by mode of travel, whether private vehicle, MOD vehicle or hire car.
	Private cars are normally only authorised for use on MOD business if a pool car is not available and a private car is the most cost-effective travel option. We have additionally asked all staff, as part of a package of financial management measures for 2010-11, to avoid travel at all where the business need can be met in other ways, such as by e-mail and video or audio conferencing. This both saves cost and increases the productivity of staff, by reducing time spent travelling.

Departmental Travel

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on taxi fares in each month since April 2010.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 December 2010
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) reimbursed the cost of taxi fares to service personnel over the period April to November 2010 as follows:
	
		
			   Amount reimbursed (£) 
			 April 2010 58,000 
			 May 2010 67,000 
			 June 2010 76,000 
			 July 2010 76,000 
			 August 2010 43,000 
			 September 2010 66,000 
			 October 2010 70,000 
			 November 2010 73,000 
		
	
	Taxi fares claimed by civilian staff are not recorded separately from bus and underground fares and parking and toll costs.
	Staff, both civilian and military, may only use a taxi for official duty when there is a business benefit to the MOD or when it saves money. A taxi is typically used where no other suitable form of public transport is available. In the present economic conditions, we are constraining the amount of travel undertaken.

Departmental Travel

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible has spent on  (a) taxis,  (b) the Government Car Service and  (c) other travel in each month since April 2010.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 20 December 2010
	 The Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s non-departmental public bodies do not record their travel and subsistence costs separately, except as follows:
	The Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees incurred such costs as follows: April to August 2010-not recorded separately, September 2010-£2,941, October 2010-£2,725 and November 2010-£1,697.
	The MOD has been billed £5,774 by the Review Board for Government Contracts for travel and subsistence and courier services provided between 1 April to 31 October 2010.
	Taxi fares claimed by the MOD's non-departmental public bodies are not recorded separately. Staff may only use a taxi for official duty when there is a business benefit to the MOD or when it saves money.
	The MOD's non-departmental public bodies made no use of the Government Car Service between April and November 2010.

Ex-servicemen: Teachers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Department for Health,  (b) the Department for Education and  (c) the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the proposed Troops to Teachers programme; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: We are committed to rebuilding the armed forces covenant and regular discussions take place with a number of Government Departments to ensure that it is put in place. The Troops to Teachers initiative was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education in the White Paper published on 24 November. This programme is one strand of our covenant commitment and my officials are working closely with other Government Departments including the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Department of Health.

Gurkhas: Pensions

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has discussed with ministerial colleagues the estimated difference in cost to the public purse between providing equal pensions to all Gurkha veterans and providing welfare benefits to Gurkhas who retired before 1997 and are now living in the UK.

Andrew Robathan: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence, has held no discussions with his ministerial colleagues on this subject.

Gurkhas: Pensions

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Gurkha Offer to Transfer was open to soldiers who had already retired prior to its implementation in 2006.

Andrew Robathan: Yes, providing that they had served on or after 1 July 1997, which was the date the Brigade of Gurkhas became a UK based force.

Gurkhas: Pensions

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been paid from the public purse through the Gurkha Pension Scheme in each financial year since 2006.

Andrew Robathan: The following table details how much has been paid from the public purse through the Gurkha Pension Scheme:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 31,442,000 
			 2007-08 36,197,000 
			 2008-09 55,579,000 
			 2009-10 57,960,000

Gurkhas: Pensions

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the Gurkha Offer to Transfer was implemented retrospectively.

Andrew Robathan: The Gurkha Offer to Transfer (GOTT) was one element of a wide ranging review of Gurkha terms and conditions of service. The decision was taken to apply the GOTT back to July 1997 because that was the date the Brigade of Gurkhas became a UK based force.

HMS Bulwark

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the refit of HMS Bulwark planned for 2016; and where he expects that refit to take place.

Peter Luff: The location of HMS Bulwark's refit is subject to ongoing discussions involving members of the Surface Ship Support Alliance (the Ministry of Defence, Babcock Marine and BAE Systems Surface Ships). Since no final decision regarding the refit has been made; I am withholding information relating to estimated costs as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the seventh C17 to be ready for use in Afghanistan.

Peter Luff: The seventh C-17 Globemaster III aircraft is expected to enter service with the RAF this month. The aircraft is expected to be available for operational tasking, which includes flights to Afghanistan, in February 2011.

NATO: Military Exercises

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2010,  Official Report, column 283W, on NATO, for what reason the UK made no contribution to the Sabre Strike exercise; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: As stated in the answer given to the hon. Member on 8 December 2010,  Official Report, column 283W, Exercise Sabre Strike was a non-NATO exercise comprising troops from the four participating states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the USA. Due to its quadripartite nature and limited scope, the participation of British forces was not sought and invitations to observe were issued only to neighbouring countries.

Personnel Recovery Centres

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to provide support for the opening of personnel recovery centres.

Andrew Robathan: The Army Recovery Capability (ARC) was launched in February 2010 by the previous Government as a joint venture between the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion. The coalition Government remains fully committed to the ARC. It represents a multi-million pound commitment by the MOD and the Service charities. A key component of the ARC is the provision of four Personnel Recovery Centres (PRCs) in Catterick, Colchester, Tidworth and Edinburgh. The MOD to date has committed £35 million over the next four years to the ARC which includes the provision of military and civilian personnel to co-ordinate, manage and deliver the ARC, including staff for the PRCs. Help for Heroes has committed a total of £70 million and The Royal British Legion has committed £50 million over the next 10 years to the ARC.
	The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force also have their own bespoke recovery capabilities, tailored to their particular Service's requirements. The facilities and support provided by the ARC, including the PRCs, will also be open to personnel from the two other Services, including mobilised reservists.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on travel by  (a) Ministers and  (b) civilian staff as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review consultation process.

Liam Fox: holding answer 20 December 2010
	The Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) was core departmental business incorporated into the routine work of Ministers and staff. It is not possible to identify what element of travel costs during the period of the SDSR was incurred specifically as part of the review process.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on  (a) resources and  (b) allowances for staff working on the Strategic Defence and Security Review consultation process.

Liam Fox: holding answer 20 December 2010
	The Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) was core departmental business incorporated into the routine work of Ministers and staff. It is not possible to identify what element of resources and allowances during the period of the SDSR was incurred specifically as part of the review process.

Trident

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assumptions were made in respect of the number of submarines to be manufactured when his Department made its estimate of the cost of replacing Trident included in the summary of the Value for Money review.

Liam Fox: We remain committed to a policy of Continuous At Sea Deterrence. The cost of replacing the Trident submarines, as set out in the summary of the Value for Money Review, is based on building four submarines. However, the Strategic Defence and Security Review is clear in stating that the decision to finalise the detailed acquisition plans, design and number of submarines will be taken at Main Gate around 2016.

USA: Cluster Munitions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2010,  Official Report, column 427W, on USA: cluster munitions, whether he has made an assessment of the steps his Department took to inform both Houses of discussions with officials of  (a) the US administration and  (b) other governments relevant to the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill (i) before and (ii) during the passage of the Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: No, I have not made an assessment; this is a matter for the previous Government.

Warships: Crew

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the normal ship's company while on operational duty is for  (a) HMS Ocean and  (b) HMS Illustrious.

Peter Luff: The ship's complement for HMS Ocean is 285 personnel and for HMS Illustrious is 726 personnel. Personnel numbers will vary depending on the nature of the operational tasking.

Warships: Decommissioning

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for  (a) HMS Chatham,  (b) HMS Campbeltown,  (c) HMS Cumberland,  (d) HMS Cornwall and  (e) RFA Largs Bay after decommissioning.

Peter Luff: It is too early to determine the future plans for HMS Chatham, HMS Campbeltown, HMS Cumberland, HMS Cornwall and RFA Largs Bay. Any decisions will be in line with the Ministry of Defence's policy for handling surplus assets.

Welsh Language

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department last published a Welsh language scheme in accordance with the provisions of the Welsh Language Act 1993; and at which web addresses such schemes can be accessed in  (a) Welsh and  (b) English.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence last published a Welsh Language Act 1993 compliant Welsh Language Scheme in December 2009. It can be accessed on the MOD website in Welsh at the following address:
	http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/9C5306B3-A9D8-423D-AB35-A1055377EDA7/0/20101011_revised_MOD_ welshlanguagescheme_welsh.pdf
	and in English at the following address:
	http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/78E1B15B-77FE-4BF2-BB8C-AF2F4BEE5C0E/0/20101011_revised_MOD_ welshlanguagescheme_english.pdf
	Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Wood

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the compliance of  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's criteria for sourcing sustainable timber.

Andrew Robathan: The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has not set criteria for sourcing sustainable timber as such, but refers to internationally agreed criteria such as the Pan-European Operational Level Guidelines for Sustainable Forest Management, as endorsed by the Lisbon Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (2-4 June 1998), the UNCED Forest Principles (Rio de Janeiro, June 1992) and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) criteria and guidelines for sustainable forest management. The Government's timber procurement policy is based on these same internationally agreed criteria for sustainable forest management.
	The Ministry of Defence, its agencies and its non-departmental public bodies ensure compliance with Government policy on timber and wood derived products. The MOD has a standard condition that is used in all contracts where such products are to be supplied. It requires the contractor to obtain and retain evidence of sustainability for timber and wood-containing products delivered to the MOD and consumed during performance of contracts. It also requires the contractor to submit data on timber procurements to the MOD.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Dangerous Dogs

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many disqualification orders have been issued following convictions of individuals of offences under sections 3(1) and 3(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in  (a) England and  (b) Wales in the last 10 years.

James Paice: Data on disqualification orders under section 4(1)B of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are not collated centrally.

Dangerous Dogs

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people have been convicted of  (a) breeding or breeding from,  (b) selling or exchanging,  (c) making or offering to make a gift of,  (d) allowing to be in a public place without a muzzle or lead and  (e) abandoning or allowing to stray any (i) pit bull terrier (ii) Japanese tosa, (iii) dogo argentino and (iv) fila brasileiro in each of the last five years.

James Paice: It is not possible to identify the type of fighting dog from data collated centrally. However, the number of people convicted of these offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England and Wales in each of the last five years can be found in the following table. Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring.
	
		
			  Offence  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog. Section of Act: 1(2)(a) 1 1 7 4 4 
			 Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog. Section of Act: 1(2)(b) - - - 1 - 
			 Giving or offering to give a fighting dog. Section of Act: 1 (2)(c) - - - - - 
			 Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead. Section of Act: 1(2)(d) 3 - 5 15 11 
			 Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog. Section of Act: 1(2)(e) - - - - 1 
			  Notes: 1. The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3. 2008 figures exclude convictions for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit, Ministry of Justice.

Dangerous Dogs

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the conviction rate was in respect of offences committed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each year since its implementation.

James Paice: The conviction ratio in respect of offences committed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each year since its implementation can be found in the following table. Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring.
	
		
			   Conviction ratio (found guilty as a percentage of proceeded against) 
			 1991 50 
			 1992 47 
			 1993 44 
			 1994 42 
			 1995 40 
			 1996 35 
			 1997 48 
			 1998 53 
			 1999 55 
			 2000 54 
			 2001 59 
			 2002 56 
			 2003 54 
			 2004 59 
			 2005 61 
			 2006 62 
			 2007 66 
			 2008 71 
			 2009 70 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3. Staffordshire police force was only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. 4. 2008 figures exclude convictions for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit, Ministry of Justice.

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many invoices her Department processed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Core Department 103,975 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate 1,904 
			 Rural Payments Agency (RPA) 11,917 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency 29,103 
			 Food and Environment Research Agency 23,828 
			 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science 10,704 
			 Total 181,431 
			  Note: The RPA figure does not include payments made to farmers under the single payment scheme.

Departmental Press Releases

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions her Department has provided embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010; in respect of how many such briefings her Department was informed that the embargo had been breached; what steps were taken as a result of each such breach; and on how many occasions her Department has provided media briefings without an embargo prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has made no oral statements since 26 May 2010.

Deposit Refund Schemes

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many submissions on deposit refund schemes her Department has received from  (a) individuals,  (b) non-governmental organisations and  (c) companies and trade associations as part of its review of waste policy in England;
	(2)  what proportion of the responses received to her Department's consultation on waste policy in England related to deposit refund schemes.

Richard Benyon: Of the 309 responses to the Government's Review of Waste Policies' Call for Evidence, which ran between 29 July and 7 October, 43 (14%) included comments about deposit refund schemes. Of these 43 responses, 17 were from local authorities, 13 from non-governmental organisations (including campaign groups and charities), five from businesses, five from individuals and three from trade associations.
	Five comments about deposit refund schemes were made on the review's interactive website and 50 out of 1,500 contributions to our online survey also referenced deposit schemes. The survey and interactive website were both active between 29 July and 9 September.
	In addition, we received 1,458 e-mails in support of the "Many Happy Returns" campaign conducted by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, which called for the implementation of a UK-wide deposit refund scheme for 2015.
	The Government are considering the arguments and evidence put forward relating to deposit refund schemes as part of the Review of Waste Policies. Preliminary findings of the review will be published in May 2011.

EU Fisheries Council

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2010,  Official Report, column 144W, on the EC Fisheries Council, which officials accompanied her to the meeting of the EU Fisheries Council in December 2010.

Richard Benyon: All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code. Eight officials accompanied the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries.

Flood Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on which flood defence schemes work is being undertaken; on which flood defence schemes which have been approved by the Environment Agency work has not yet commenced; and in which financial year work is due to commence for each such scheme.

Richard Benyon: The following table shows the flood schemes currently under construction in this financial year.
	It is too early to identify individual new flood defence projects that will be funded during the coming spending period. Detailed decisions on individual schemes will only be reached once annual budgets are finalised. These decisions will take account of the response to the public consultation that DEFRA launched on 24 November, setting out potential changes to the way in which Government funding is allocated to projects.
	
		
			  Flood schemes under construction financial year 2010-11 
			  Project name  Region  Operating authority 
			 Welches Dam Pumping Station Refurbishment Anglian Environment Agency 
			 Wisbech Defences Anglian Environment Agency 
			 Middle Level Barrier Bank Erosion Protection Anglian Environment Agency 
			 Broadland Public Private Partnership Project Anglian Environment Agency 
			 Tilbury Reservoir Works Anglian Environment Agency 
			 Lincshore 2010 to 2015 Anglian Environment Agency 
			 Ipswich Flood Defence Management System: EDF P 'Cable Diversion' Anglian Environment Agency 
			 Ipswich Flood Defence Management System: Implementation Anglian Environment Agency 
			 Ipswich Flood Defence Management System: West Bank Works Anglian Environment Agency 
			
			 Warden Hill Flood Relief Works Midlands Cheltenham Borough Council 
			 Cheltenham Flood Alleviation Scheme Midlands Environment Agency 
			 Burton Walls Midlands Environment Agency 
			 Horsebere Brook Midlands Environment Agency 
			 Upton Upon Severn Flood Risk Management Scheme Midlands Environment Agency 
			 Prestbury Flood Alleviation Scheme Midlands Environment Agency 
			 Nottingham Trent Left Bank Midlands Environment Agency 
			 Gainsborough Frontage Midlands Environment Agency 
			
			 Altmouth Urgent Works North West Environment Agency 
			 River Douglas, Wigan (Storage Basin) North West Environment Agency 
			 Thacka Beck, Penrith Flood Alleviation Scheme North West Environment Agency 
			 Carlisle City and Caldew North West Environment Agency 
			 Walverden Water Flood Alleviation Scheme North West Environment Agency 
			 Stanah Pumping Station Safety Works North West Environment Agency 
			 Chorley Reservoir Decommissioning North West Environment Agency 
			
			 Poole Frontage Management Plan Works-Control Structures South West Borough of Poole 
			 Pill Tidal Defence Scheme South West Environment Agency 
			 St Ives-Stennack Stream South West Environment Agency 
			 Shaldon and Ringmore Flood Defence Scheme South West Environment Agency 
			 Parrett Health and Safety Improvements to Structures South West Parrett Internal Drainage Board 
			
			 Selsey Beach Capital Scheme plus Management Plan (5 years-2010/11 to 2014/15) Southern Chichester District Council 
			 Seasalter to Graveney Sea Defences Southern Environment Agency 
			 Bulverhythe Capital Maintenance 2007/08 to 2011/12 Southern Environment Agency 
			 Leigh Barrier Enhanced Maintenance Southern Environment Agency 
			 Pevensey Bay Sea Defences Public Private Partnership Southern Environment Agency 
			 Tidal Ouse-Raised Defence Revetments Southern Environment Agency 
			 Dartford Creek Barrier 2030 Southern Environment Agency 
			 High Knocke to Dymchurch Sea Defences-Frontage A Southern Environment Agency 
			 Pett Shingle Renourishment Ph 2-6 Southern Environment Agency 
			 Hayling Island North Improvements Southern Environment Agency 
			 Oyster Coast Brooks Culvert Repairs Package Southern Environment Agency 
			 Rye Harbour Farm Habitat Creation Southern Environment Agency 
			 Beach Management Plan, Eastoke, Hayling Island Southern Havant Borough Council 
			 Coastal Defence Capital Maintenance Works: Peacehaven, East Sussex Southern Lewes District Council 
			 Coronation Parade, Folkestone-Works Southern Shepway District Council 
			 Greatstone Dunes Management Southern Shepway District Council 
			 Margate Flood and Coast Protection Scheme Southern Thanet District Council 
			
			 Paddle and Rymer Health and Safety Works Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Weir Motorisation Health and Safety Work Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Thames Barrier Logic Control Systems Upgrade Thames Environment Agency 
			 Erith Green Level Pumping Station Thames Environment Agency 
			 Barking and Dagenham Mechanical and Electrical Package 2 Thames Environment Agency 
			 Deptford Creek Frontages Package Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Ancillary Services Thames Environment Agency 
			 Cobbins Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme Thames Environment Agency 
			 TE2100 Barking and Dagenham Tidal Walls Thames Environment Agency 
			 Barking and Dagenham Mechanical and Electrical Package 3 Thames Environment Agency 
			 Haydon Wick Flood Alleviation Scheme Thames Environment Agency 
			 Lower Mole Flood Alleviation Scheme Operational Access Road Thames Environment Agency 
			 River Wey Gate Motorisation Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier Perimeter Security Thames Environment Agency 
			 River Rib Bank Erosion Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Thames Barrier Port of London Authority Navigation Aids Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Remaining King George V works from Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Strategy Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Remaining Gallions works from Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Strategy Thames Environment Agency 
			 Kew Embankment Repairs Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Thames Barrier Pier Crane Modernisation Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Thames Barrier Replacement Tools and Equipment Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Remaining Barking Barrier works from Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Strategy Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Drive Equipment Thames Environment Agency 
			 Barking and Dagenham Mechanical and Electrical Package 1 Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Remaining Thames Barrier works from Thames Barrier and Associated Gates Strat Thames Environment Agency 
			 Upper Mole Flood Alleviation Scheme Thames Environment Agency 
			 Oxford Short Term Measures 2 Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Weirs High Priority Programme Package 1 Thames Environment Agency 
			 Thames Weirs High Priority Programme Package 2 Thames Environment Agency 
			 Park Lane Thames Wokingham Borough Council 
			
			 Hull Tidal Barrier Drive Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency 
			 East Hull Pumping Station short term solution Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency 
			 Ripon Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency 
			 Wakefield (Ph 3) Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency 
			 Ings Beck Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency 
			 Neasham Reservoir remedial works Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency 
			 Rawcliffe Bridge Embankment Repairs, River Don Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency 
			 Redcar Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency 
			 Walsden Water-Todmorden Phase 3 Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency 
			 Adwick-Le-Street and Toll Bar (A1 to Ea Beck Triangle) Embankment Improvements, Ea Beck Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency 
			 Eastrington and Laxton Flood Management Project Yorkshire and North East Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board 
			 Gilberdyke and Blacktoft Flood Management Project Yorkshire and North East Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board 
			 Cullercoats Bay Design And Construction Yorkshire and North East North Tyneside Council 
			 Scarborough Strategy Priority Schemes East Pier to Castle Holms Yorkshire and North East Scarborough Borough Council

Flood Control

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency plans her Department has made to respond to flooding resulting from melting snow.

Richard Benyon: Most local authorities, and the local resilience forums of which they are part, have multi-agency flood plans, which set out their planned responses to flooding events. These are based on guidance produced by central Government; DEFRA is the lead Department for the central response to potential and real flooding events including from melting snow. Local authorities also benefit from the daily forecasts from the Flood Forecasting Centre, which include assessments of the risk of flooding from snow melt at an individual county level.

Mosquitos

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department  (a) had discussions with Oxitec prior to and  (b) holds information on the (i) consent procedures in place for and (ii) environmental impact assessment of the experimental release of genetically-modified mosquitos in Grand Cayman in 2009 and 2010.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA did not have any discussions with Oxitec prior to the trial release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Grand Cayman, nor do we hold information on the associated consent procedures as these are a matter for the Cayman authorities alone. Subsequent to the trial release Oxitec has provided us with a copy of the risk assessment that was undertaken with the Cayman authorities.

Nocton Dairies

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on farming practices at Nocton Dairies, Lincolnshire; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: I have received numerous letters on this subject from animal welfare organisations, MPs and individual members of the public.
	I am unable to comment on individual planning applications. However, when in operation, all dairy farms must comply with the relevant legislation, including comprehensive animal welfare legislation, whatever the size of unit or system of production.

North East

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which Ministers of her Department have visited the North East since their appointment; on what date such visits took place; and for what purposes such visits were undertaken.

Richard Benyon: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Minister  Date  Details 
			 Lord Henley 16 and  17 August  2010 Waste visits: Richmondshire Council, Richmond, to view recycling in action. 
			   Billingham, SITA Energy from Waste plant tour and discussion. 
			   South Tyneside trade waste, South Shields tour of Trade Waste Operations. 
			   FareShare depot at Pallion in Sunderland discussion, tour and North Family Zone to see the charity in action. 
			   West Sleekburn, SITA Material Recovery Facility, tour discussion and presentation. 
			
			 Lord Henley 15 October 2010 Northern Farming Conference, Newcastle. Keynote speech from 10 am. 
			
			 Lord Henley 25 November 2010 Waste visits: Biffa Polymers (plastic recycling plant) for tour and discussion. 
			   Sembcorp biomass plant for tour and discussion. 
			   Graphite Resources for a tour. 
			   Ineos Bio to discuss Seal Sands waste to bioethanol project, and general waste/biomass issues. 
			   Air Products, a company who do gasification of waste to produce electricity and downstream hydrogen. 
			   Meeting with PYReco, to discuss positive impact on the UK's Climate Change Agenda and substantial recycling potential across industry. 
			   Closing speech at Waste Conference in Gateshead. 
			
			 Richard Benyon 15-16 June Launch of MMO in Newcastle, and visited the Northumberland National Park. 
			 Richard Benyon 14-15 July Attended the British Irish Environment Council in Newcastle.

Recycling

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the contribution of remanufacturing to her Department's waste strategy.

Richard Benyon: A joint policy project between DEFRA'S Waste and Sustainable Consumption and Production Programmes is examining the subject of waste prevention. This project will input both to the current review of waste policy as well as to the preparation of a National Waste Prevention Programme by December 2013, as required under the revised waste framework directive.
	Part of the early work of the project has involved reviewing the existing evidence relating to business waste prevention. This is an in-depth scoping study to help examine the current knowledge base as well as identify priority gaps that need to be filled by subsequent research studies. Remanufacturing is one aspect of waste prevention being covered in this review study.

Ritual Slaughter

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether planned changes to food labelling regulations will include consideration as to whether meat products have been processed using religious ritual measures.

James Paice: At the European Parliament's (EP's) first reading of the proposed food information regulation (FIR), the EP introduced a proposal to require meat from animals that have been slaughtered without stunning to be labelled as such. Negotiations in Europe are at an early stage.
	We do not consider an amendment to the FIR to be the right vehicle for providing information on the method of slaughter. We believe this is primarily a welfare issue should be dealt with in this context.
	There appears to be little support for the proposed EP amendment from other member states. However the EP may seek to incorporate its proposal into the draft food information regulation at the second reading stage.

Supermarkets: Competition

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the implementation of the Grocery Supply Chain Code of Practice and the appointment of the adjudicator; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with her opposite number in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on a range of topical issues, which includes the establishment of a groceries code adjudicator to monitor and enforce the groceries supply code of practice. This was most recently discussed in December.

Welsh language

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department last published a Welsh language scheme in accordance with the provisions of the Welsh Language Act 1993; and at which web addresses such schemes can be accessed in  (a) Welsh and  (b) English.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA last published a Welsh language scheme in 2005.
	Both Welsh and English versions of the scheme are available via:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/reports

Zoos: EU Law

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects on annual welfare standards in England of the EU Directive on Zoos, 1999/22/EC.

James Paice: The directive is implemented through the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 which requires animals in zoos to be accommodated in conditions which aim to satisfy their biological and conservation requirements. The Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice expand on these requirements and specify the minimum standards, including welfare standards, zoos must meet. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 also covers zoo animals.
	Local authorities have responsibility for licensing and inspecting zoos in their areas and are empowered to impose and enforce conditions to ensure that high standards are maintained. DEFRA has not carried out a separate assessment, but will take very seriously any reports of welfare problems it receives.

TRANSPORT

Airports

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will encourage UK airports serving international flights to locate or relocate to regions of the country with lower than average snowfall.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has no plans to introduce policies to encourage airlines to relocate flights to airports in regions of the country with lower than average snowfall.

Aviation: Radio Frequencies

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential for increasing the efficiency of the use of radio spectrum by the aviation sector.

Theresa Villiers: Responsibility for efficient use of the radio spectrum rests with Ofcom, the independent regulator. On 14 December 2010, Ofcom published a statement setting out a new pricing structure for VHF frequencies used by the aviation sector. Ofcom has previously proposed that Government take responsibility for the strategic management of spectrum used for maritime and aviation radar and aeronautical navigation aids. Officials are considering the practicality of doing so.

Aviation: Security

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the continuing requirement for restriction on carriage of toner cartridges by air; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: Further interim measures were introduced on 10 December 2010. These included measures to replace the restrictions on toner cartridges flying in cargo or hand baggage. The new measures stipulate that:
	Printing equipment with ink or toner cartridges inside and where the cartridge weighs more than 500g are not to be carried in air cargo or mail into, from or via the UK unless they originate from a UK validated known consignor.
	All other restrictions on printer cartridges are lifted.
	The ban on all air cargo from Yemen and Somalia remains in place.
	Work is ongoing, on an EU wide basis, to agree an internationally applicable regime for the carriage of such freight.

Aviation: Security

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral Statement of 1 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 632-3, on the aviation security incident, when he expects the airport security scanners which the Secretary of State for the Home Department undertook to send to Yemen to be sent.

Theresa Villiers: As part of the Government's package of measures to support the Government of Yemen, we have agreed with them a detailed programme to assist the improvement in aviation security at Sana'a International airport. This programme includes the provision of aviation security equipment and training.
	We have been in regular discussion with the Yemeni authorities to deliver this programme, which is approaching the implementation stage. Subject to a number of contractual issues and other considerations we are hopeful that purchase and delivery of equipment will be completed by the end of March 2011.

Shipping: Pilots

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he has received on section 32(1) of the Pilotage Act 1987 in relation to the regulation of standards of qualifications for statutory pilots.

Michael Penning: The Department considers that the industry funded body Ports Skills and Safety (PSS) is best placed to improve pilotage skills and standards. In early 2011, PSS will begin implementing a programme to update the National Occupational Standards for pilots, and in due course, to develop Certificates of Competence for new and existing UK pilots.

Bus Services: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2010,  Official Report, column 188W, on bus services: finance, what estimate he has made of the likely effect of the 20 per cent. reduction in Bus Service Operators Grant on  (a) bus fares and  (b) service reductions in (i) London, (ii) metropolitan areas with an integrated transport authority and (iii) non-metropolitan areas.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport estimates that the approximate average impacts of the 20% reduction in Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) could be:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Area  Impact on fares  Impact on services 
			 London +2 -1 
			 Metropolitan Areas +2 -1 
			 Conurbations +1 -1 
			 Small Towns +1 -2 
			 Rural Areas +2 -2 
		
	
	I spoke to the Confederation of Passenger Transport who represent the bus industry following the spending review, who were hopeful that, in general, the small reduction in BSOG could be absorbed without fares having to rise.

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the £30 million Green Bus Fund has been allocated to (a) local authorities in Sussex and  (b) Brighton and Hove.

Norman Baker: None of the £30 million Green Bus Fund has been allocated to local authorities in either Sussex or Brighton and Hove. No bids were received from these local authorities.

Contracts: Public Finance

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the cost to the public purse has been of staff on fixed-term contracts in his Department in each month since April 2010;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on staff on fixed-term contracts in each month since April 2010.

Norman Baker: holding answer 15 December 2010
	The following table shows how much the Department for Transport and its seven executive agencies has spent on staff on fixed-term contracts in each month since April 2010.
	
		
			   £ 
			 April 922,070.30 
			 May 1,050,909.35 
			 June 1,107,229.66 
			 July 1,078,061.78 
			 August 1,027,287,65 
			 September 928,472.40 
			 October 766,556.56 
			 November 734,818.42

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the maintenance and operating costs were for the Dartford Crossing in each year since 2008.

Michael Penning: The accounts of the Highways Agency details the following expenditure on maintenance and operating costs for the Dartford Crossing:
	
		
			  Financial year  Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2008-09 26.7 
			 2009-10 26.8 
		
	
	The expenditure in 2009-10 includes an estimate of the Dartford maintenance and operating costs delivered through the M25 PFI contract.
	In May 2009, the agency signed a 30-year design, build, finance and operate (DBFO) PFI contract with Connect Plus (M25) Limited. As part of this new contract, the function of managing the crossing and collecting charges transferred to Connect Plus (M25) Limited from 13 September 2009. The inclusion of the Dartford Crossing as part of this DBFO contract was designed to ensure the agency could achieve maximum value for money from the new contract. Due to the nature of the contract, the agency pays a single service payment to cover all of the contract activities, including maintenance and operating costs of the crossing.

Departmental NDPBs

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff have been appointed on a fixed-term contract by each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department since May 2010.

Norman Baker: holding answer 16 December 2010
	The number of staff appointed on a fixed-term contract by each non-departmental public body sponsored by this Department for Transport (DFT) since May 2010 are as follows:
	
		
			   Staff 
			 RFA 0 
			 BTPA 1 
			 DPTAC 0 
			 DOR Ltd 0 
			 Northern Lighthouse Board 0 
			 Passenger Focus 4 
			 Trinity Lighthouse 12 
			 TCs and DTCs 0 
			  Notes: 1. DFT non-departmental public bodies are: RFA-Renewable Fuels Agency BTPA-British Transport Police Authority Cycling England DPTAC-Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee DOR Ltd-Directly Operated Railways Ltd NLB-Northern Lighthouse Board Passenger Focus TLS-Trinity Lighthouse Service TCs and DTCs-Traffic Commissioners and Deputy Traffic Commissioners 2. Cycling England does not exist as its own legal entity-it is essentially part of DFT. It ceases to exist after March 2011.

Departmental Overtime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on overtime for staff working within his private office in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The expenditure on overtime for staff working in the Secretary of State for Transport's private office is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 26,554.76 
			 2006-07 31,447.31 
			 2007-08 37,546.02 
			 2008-09 31,627.38 
			 2009-10 10,489.49 
		
	
	This does not include expenditure on overtime for staff working in other Ministers' private offices. The Department for Transport introduced a private office allowance of 20% of salary in February 2009 to replace on-call allowances, the flat rate private secretaries' allowance and most overtime payments.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the effect of the increase in the standard rate of value added tax on his Department's annual expenditure.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport's forward expenditure plans in the spending review took account of the VAT increase in January 2011-where relevant:
	For those supplies where VAT is recoverable, there will be no impact on planned spend. For instance, VAT paid on certain services contracted out by the Highway's Agency is recovered (over £300 million a year; this recovery is consistent powers under section 41 of the Value Added Tax Act 1994);
	For those supplies where the VAT is non recoverable, the impact of the VAT rise has been factored into future budgets.
	This is a common approach across all Government Departments. As a result, departmental spending review settlements are set on a tax-inclusive basis, including the increase to the standard rate of VAT.

East Coast Main Line

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what criteria he used in making his decision on the future of the East Coast Main Line franchise;
	(2)  what criteria he used in making his decision on the future of the Greater Anglia franchise.

Theresa Villiers: The timing and length of future franchises was announced on 7 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 15-18WS, with a longer 15 year franchise planned to commence in 2012 for East Coast, and 2013 for Greater Anglia. An important criterion for the decisions on commencement dates was the aim to better align incentives between Network Rail and train operators. These reforms are currently under consideration by Sir Roy McNulty, as set out in his interim report published alongside the 7 December announcement. The previously planned retendering schedule for Greater Anglia would not have allowed time for such reforms to be included in the new franchise.

High Speed Trains

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department's public consultation on the route for High Speed 2 will invite consideration of the principle that high speed rail links be built; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 29 November 2010
	Yes.

High Speed Trains

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans for Maidstone to be linked to the High Speed Network.

Theresa Villiers: Following the meeting which I had with the hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald and other hon. Members representing Kent constituencies on 27 July 2010, Department for Transport officials have been working in conjunction with Southeastern to assess the service provision to stations in Maidstone and analyse where improvements to the level of service provision can be made.
	Any options which are considered in this respect will be predicated on the need to be affordable and provide value for money.

High Speed Two: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the value for money of the High Speed Two project.

Philip Hammond: Assessments of the value for money of High Speed Two Limited's (HS2 Ltd's) proposed high speed rail line from London to the West Midlands and of a number of options for a wider national high speed rail network are set out in Chapters 4 and 6 of HS2 Ltd's report, "High Speed Rail: London to the West Midlands and Beyond". This can be accessed on the Department for Transport website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/hs2ltd/hs2report/
	HS2 Ltd is currently reviewing its assessments of the value for money of its proposals in the light of the most recent economic forecasts and updated assessments will be published to inform the forthcoming consultation on the Government's strategy for high speed rail and the route of an initial London-West Midlands line.

High Speed Two: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the pre-project costs incurred by High Speed Two to date.

Philip Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 20 December 2010,  Official Report, column 1003W.

High Speed Two: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the sum to accrue to the economy of  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) the North West from the construction of High Speed Two (i) in cash terms and (ii) as a proportion of gross value added by 2040.

Philip Hammond: High Speed Two Ltd's assessment of the benefits of a new high speed line did not include any calculation of broader regional economic benefits, such as long-term GVA impacts. I am aware that both Greengauge 21 and the Northern Way have published research on this issue. Their reports are available online at:
	http://www.greengauge21.net/wp-content/uploads/consequences-for-employment.pdf
	and at:
	http://www.thenorthernway.co.uk/document.asp?id=451
	It should be noted that these long-term regional economic effects are complex and challenging to predict and some of the methodologies that have been employed to calculate them are comparatively untested. On the basis of the research above, however, it appears reasonable to conclude that they have the potential to be significant.

High Speed Two: Public Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the exceptional hardship scheme for High Speed Two.

Philip Hammond: The Department for Transport estimates that around £25 million may be required to fund property purchases under the exceptional hardship scheme in each of the 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial years, although actual expenditure will depend on applications received. The final cost of the scheme to the public purse will also depend on the level of rental and/or sales income derived from any properties purchased under the scheme.

Internet

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on its departmental website since May 2010.

Norman Baker: holding answer 15 December 2010
	The Department for Transport (DfT) has spent £264,977 on its departmental website between the period 1 June 2010 and 30 November 2010.
	Departmental website costs for previous years are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  DfT corporate website costs (£) 
			 2009-10 707,072 
			 2008-09 749,819 
			 2007-08 674,451 
			 2006-07 1.5 million 
		
	
	The Department is currently working to converge appropriate content to Directgov, Business Link and the corporate site and is committed to a programme of website rationalisation. The Department aims to close 97% of departmental websites listed for closure by end March 2011. The Department is also looking at opportunities to reduce website costs through shared platforms and new and emerging technologies.
	Costs provided are those incurred in payment to external suppliers and do not include internal staff costs.

Large Goods Vehicles

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposal to restrict all semi-trailers built under whole vehicle tyre approval to four metres in height; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the proposed restrictions on semi-trailers built under whole vehicle tyre approval to four metres in height.

Michael Penning: The Government's policy is to resist the four metre height limit and other aspects of the Commission's draft proposal that make fundamental changes to existing requirements. Following a request for evidence on the potential impacts of the proposal, the Department for Transport has received replies from trade associations and individual companies. These indicate that the impact could be significant and the Department will be pressing the Commission and other member states to maintain the status quo.

Large Goods Vehicles

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many  (a) accidents and  (b) fatalities between 2000 and 2010 were recorded as having been caused by freight lorries jack-knifing;
	(2)  what recent progress his Department has made on reducing the number of accidents caused by jack-knifed lorries.

Michael Penning: The following table shows the number of reported personal injury road accidents and consequential fatal casualties in accidents where at least one heavy goods vehicle (3.5 tonnes or over) was reported to have jack-knifed. The latest year for which information is available is 2009. Statistics are not available for accidents where no personal injury occurred.
	It is not possible to determine from the data whether the HGV in question caused the accident.
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents and consequential fatal casualties in accidents involving a jack-knifed heavy goods vehicle (over 3.5 tonnes): Great Britain 2000-09 
			   Accidents  Fatalities 
			 2000 175 18 
			 2001 156 16 
			 2002 155 19 
			 2003 152 19 
			 2004 145 10 
			 2005 142 23 
			 2006 142 15 
			 2007 98 10 
			 2008 116 11 
			 2009 92 6 
		
	
	In 2002 our national legislation governing the construction, equipment, maintenance and use of road vehicles (The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986) was amended to require anti-lock braking systems (ABS) on certain new heavy commercial vehicles.
	Although ABS does not directly prevent jack knifing, it can improve a vehicle's stability under braking and prevent wheel lock-a potential contributory factor in jack knife incidents.

London and South Eastern Railways: Snow and Ice

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has had recent discussions with Southeastern on ensuring that commuters are not affected to an unreasonable extent by disruptions caused by snow and ice.

Theresa Villiers: Throughout the recent disruption due to adverse weather, Department for Transport officials were in daily contact with Southeastern. Southeastern has been fully involved with David Quarmby's audit of the winter preparedness review.
	Unfortunately, extreme weather conditions will inevitably disrupt the transport system. However, both train operators and Network Rail must take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise disruption and mitigate its impacts on passengers, including providing timely and reliable information on which services are running.

London Waterloo-Twickenham Railway Line

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work to facilitate the operation of longer trains between Twickenham and Waterloo to commence.

Theresa Villiers: Discussions between Network Rail, South West Trains and the Department for Transport are ongoing. As these are commercial negotiations it is not possible to give a firm date, but we expect the additional vehicles to be delivered on to the network before 2014.

Members: Correspondence

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to answer questions 26276 and 26277, on the Dartford Crossing, tabled by the hon. Member for Thurrock on 22 November 2010.

Michael Penning: I answered these questions on 21 December 2010,  Official Report, column 1299W.

Network Rail

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria he plans to use in decisions on the reform of the relationship between Network Rail and train operating companies across the rail network.

Theresa Villiers: The Government's key objective is to ensure that incentives across the rail industry are more closely aligned, so that all parties strive to reduce costs, improve service quality and provide value for money for taxpayers and passengers. Achievement of this objective will be a key criterion for making decisions on the reform of the rail sector.

Parking: Fines

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the effect on local authority parking  (a) charges and  (b) penalties of reductions in central Government funding for local authority transport services.

Norman Baker: holding answer 29 November 2010
	Parking charges are a matter for the local authority. None of the representations I have received about parking penalty charges has argued for an increase in penalty charges on the grounds of changes to government funding for local authority transport services.

Radio Frequencies

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what advice his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) received on the compatibility of charges for radio spectrum usage by the aeronautical industry with international commitments affecting that industry;
	(2)  what his policy is on charges for the use of the VHF radio spectrum for safety purposes by the aeronautical sector; what  (a) recent representations he has received and  (b) discussions he has had with (i) Ofcom, (ii) the Civil Aviation Authority and (iii) industry representatives on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: In principle the Government support the use of market mechanisms, including pricing where appropriate, to improve the efficiency of spectrum used by the transport sector, with the provisos that safety considerations must not be compromised, international obligations must be respected and users must be given time to adjust. Departmental officials, in conjunction with the CAA, made these provisos clear to Ofcom as it prepared its new pricing structure for aeronautical spectrum.
	I recently met with General Aviation representatives, including the Light Aircraft Association, who outlined their concerns at Ofcom's pricing proposals. In its statement, published on 14 December 2010, Ofcom announced the introduction of a low cost/low coverage licence specifically for aerodromes.

Railways: Concessions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to Network Rail of providing free and concessionary rail travel to current and former employees and their families in each of the last five years.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 3 December 2010
	The Secretary of State has not made any estimates of the cost to Network Rail of providing free and concessionary rail travel to current and former employees and their families in each of the last five years. This is a matter for Network Rail.

Railways: Concessions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) current and  (b) former (i) employees and (ii) board members of Network Rail receive concessionary rail travel.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 3 December 2010
	This scheme is administered by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC).
	The number of current Network Rail employees who receive concessionary rail travel is 12,146. It is not possible to break down this figure between board members and other employees.
	No data for former employees are available from the Department for Transport without incurring disproportionate cost.

Railways: Fares

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultation he is undertaking with passenger groups on proposed increases in rail fares; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: Passenger Focus is the principal body that represents passenger interests. Transport Ministers regularly meet Passenger Focus to discuss matters of concern. No specific discussions have taken place between Ministers and Passenger Focus on the decision to raise the cap on rail fares for three years from 2012 onwards, although I have had discussions with a number of colleagues on the impact of fare levels in their respective constituencies.

Railways: Fares

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on ensuring that those with disabilities are not adversely affected by regulated rail fare increases of 3% above the retail price index.

Theresa Villiers: There are no plans to change the benefits provided by the Disabled Persons Railcard which entitles holders to discounts of a third against most tickets. This railcard also allows an accompanying adult to travel at the discounted level.

Railways: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on levels of employment in the railway industry of the proposed restructuring of the operation of the railway network set out in the interim report of Sir Roy McNulty's value for money review.

Theresa Villiers: The interim report was commissioned to indicate possible savings that might accrue in order to inform the comprehensive spending review process. The interim report emphasised that it was premature to make definitive recommendations at this stage. It is also too early to speculate on what impact any final recommendation might have upon employment levels.

Railways: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of workshops planned to inform the final report of Sir Roy McNulty's value for money review.

Theresa Villiers: Sir Roy McNulty's review has included £13,000 in the estimate to cover the cost of workshops between now and completion of the final report. However, no workshops have yet been fixed. Unless there is a good reason to go ahead with workshops, the money will remain unspent.

Railways: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to his Department of workshops undertaken prior to the publication of the interim report of Sir Roy McNulty's value for money review.

Theresa Villiers: The Sir Roy McNulty value for money review held a workshop on 19 July 2010. The aims of the workshop were to provide further information and clarification of those issues included in the recently published scoping report; and to get input from the 80 senior rail industry attendees. This informed the work being done in order to produce the final report. An earlier workshop was held prior to completion of the scoping report in March. The total cost to the Department for Transport of both workshops was £12,593 plus VAT.

Railways: Franchises

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to make decisions about rail franchises to be retendered in 2012 and 2013.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport made a written statement on 7 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 15-18WS, setting out recent decisions on the franchising programme. There are a number of further decisions that remain to be taken about individual competitions and the instructions to potential bidders. These will be announced in the coming months in order to achieve the re-letting dates.

Railways: Franchises

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria he plans to use to decide the length of franchises for train operating companies across the rail network.

Theresa Villiers: The Government have recently consulted on what is the appropriate length for rail franchise contracts. We intend to let longer franchise contracts, with the expectation that contracts would normally be for 15 years. However, we also recognise that specific circumstances will require longer or shorter franchises from time to time. For example, the length of the West Coast Franchise is influenced by the expected introduction of High Speed 2 services.

Railways: Passengers

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of rail passengers on journeys of over 20 minutes who had a seat for their journey in the latest period for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: The information is not available in the form requested. The Department for Transport holds passenger counts data collected by train operators. However, information on whether passengers were standing or seated is not collected.

Railways: Standards

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on the economy of reducing rail congestion in metropolitan areas.

Theresa Villiers: The effects of transport schemes on the economy are assessed as part of the Department for Transport's appraisal process. The Department for Transport takes account of factors such as reductions in crowding and journey times through an assessment of transport user benefits. Promoters of rail schemes in metropolitan areas are encouraged to use the Department's guidance on estimating the wider economic impacts of the proposal. The Department's appraisal guidance, WebTAG, is available online at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/webtag/

Railways: Suicide

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to reduce the incidence of suicides on the rail network in those areas with a high incidence.

Theresa Villiers: Action to prevent suicides on the railways is a matter of operational rail safety, which is the responsibility of Network Rail, operators and the independent rail safety regulator. However, when I met with them in August 2010, I was pleased to support the joint Network Rail/Samaritans initiative to reduce suicides on the railways by 20% in five years.

Railways: Suicide

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with train operating companies on the prevention of suicide on the rail network following the launch of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: Suicides on the railways is a matter of operational safety, which is the responsibility of Network Rail, operators and the independent rail safety regulator.
	However, during regular meetings with senior representatives from the rail industry, I have discussed the joint initiative between Network Rail and the Samaritans to reduce suicides on the railway by 20% in five years, which I am happy to support.

Railways: Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what means Welsh Assembly Government Ministers are able to contribute requirements into the high level output specification for the rail network.

Theresa Villiers: Department for Transport Ministers and the Deputy First Minister have discussed major rail proposals. Welsh Assembly Government officials are working with the Department on advance planning for the next High Level Output Specification.

Road Safety: Finance

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the change in funding from his Department to local authorities through the Road Safety Grant has been in the financial year 2010-11.

Michael Penning: The Government have made clear that an urgent priority is to tackle the UK's record deficit in order to restore confidence in our economy and support the recovery. As a contribution to addressing the record deficit, we therefore have reduced the previous plans for local authority funding in 2010-11.
	Central Government's financial support grant to local authorities is provided through a variety of mechanisms, such as formula grant (including the revenue support grant), specific grants and specific capital grants.
	The Government are clear that local government needs increased flexibility to take decisions locally. It has therefore retained the most flexible funding (formula grant) for 2010-11 at the level approved previously by Parliament (£29 billion). We have also lifted restrictions on how local government spends its money by removing ring-fences.
	We expect local authorities to be able to make savings from efficiency measures, eliminating waste and, where necessary, reducing spending in areas that are lower priorities for their communities. The fact that certain grants have been chosen for reduction over others, does not mean that the Government expect there to be a direct correlation between grant reductions and local authority budget changes. For example, road safety grant was reduced as this grant was spread evenly across all local authorities, not because this was considered an area of lower priority spending.
	Therefore the road safety area based revenue funding for 2010-11 has been reduced by about 26.6% from approximately £77.3 million to approximately £56.7 million. The road safety capital grant for 2010-11 is not being paid and had been planned to total about £17.2 million.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) road-gritters and  (b) snow ploughs local authorities purchased in each year since 2007.

Norman Baker: Information on how many  (a) road-gritters and  (b) snow ploughs have been purchased by local authorities in each year since 2007 is not held centrally.
	The following table provides figures of gritting vehicles and snow ploughs that have been registered by the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency in each year since 2007.
	
		
			  End of year  Gritting vehicle  Snow plough 
			 2009 3,285 429 
			 2008 3,060 450 
			 2007 2,897 470 
		
	
	Information is not yet available for 2010. In addition, some highway authorities fit snow plough attachments to their salt spreading vehicles.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the first cascaded rail carriages to be operational on routes between Manchester and Liverpool.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 2 December 2010
	Electric services on routes between Manchester and Liverpool are expected to commence from December 2013. Completion of the remaining electrification programme for the North West is scheduled to complete by December 2016 allowing commencement of electric services.

South Eastern Trains

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what revenue support payments have been  (a) provided to date and  (b) allocated to South Eastern Trains under his Department's revenue share and support model;
	(2)  what the criteria are for providing revenue support to South Eastern Trains under his Department's revenue share and support model.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport (DfT) pays revenue support to the Integrated Kent Franchise operated by Southeastern on a periodic basis; however, this information is commercially sensitive and is provided subject to an express duty of confidence. As such it cannot be disclosed.
	The Department does not expressly 'allocate' revenue support under the revenue share and support model. The value of revenue support is determined through the application of criteria and formulae stated in the National Rail Franchising Terms (NRFT), which is available from the DfT Website:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/publicregister/current/lser/lsernational.pdf
	The relevant sections pertaining to revenue support are contained under schedule 8, specifically pages 151 to 154.

South Eastern Trains

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of revenue South Eastern Trains received  (a) through his Department's share and support model scheme and  (b) from passenger revenue collection in the latest period for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport is provided with information on passenger and other revenues from each train operating company under the terms of each franchise agreement. This information is commercially sensitive and is provided subject to an express duty of confidence. As such it cannot be disclosed.

Sustainable Transport Fund

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what mechanism the Local Sustainable Transport Fund will enable local authorities to continue to participate in nationally co-ordinated programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Local Sustainable Transport Fund represents a move away from programmes co-ordinated at a national level, and towards local authorities delivering at local level, sustainable transport measures that meet the needs of local communities.
	Guidance on the operation of the Fund will be published shortly. This will encourage local authorities to work together and in partnership with external organisations such as sustainable travel groups in identifying the measures that deliver the greatest benefit for communities. If local authorities wish to be part of a scheme which runs over several local authority boundaries, they would be able to submit a joint bid to the Fund, with one authority taking the lead.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement I made on 13 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 82-84WS.

Train Operating Companies: Weather

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he  (a) took and  (b) plans to take to monitor the performance of (i) Network Rail and (ii) train operating companies during the winter weather of November and December 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The performance of rail services is monitored throughout the year by the Department for Transport in accordance with the terms of franchise agreements. Network Rail performance is monitored and regulated by the Office of Rail Regulation.
	In addition, I meet regularly with senior representatives of the rail industry to review performance and to discuss action to maintain and improve reliability. Seasonal preparations are an important part of these monitoring meetings.
	During the ongoing problems with severe weather, Ministers and officials have kept in regular contact with affected operators and Network Rail including through meetings and phone conferences.
	Rail performance during late November and early December has also been audited by David Quarmby whose report was published 21 December 2010.

Trams

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress has been made on his Department's trial of tram-trains; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: Considerable progress has been made during the last year on the proposed Tram Train Pilot in Sheffield. This includes the development of a feasibility design for the infrastructure changes and new stations, the ongoing development of a model for operating both tramway and main line services and the initial stages of procuring and financing the tram train vehicles. This work will enable the Department for Transport to understand the costs and benefits of this pilot and the potential for future introduction of tram train services elsewhere.

Transport: Public Appointments

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the incoming permanent secretary for his Department was selected; who sat on the appointments panel; and what previous experience of transport policy was demonstrated by the successful applicant.

Norman Baker: The incoming permanent secretary for the Department for Transport (Lin Homer) was selected on 2 December 2010.
	The selection panel was made up of Dame Janet Paraskeva (First Civil Service Commissioner), Sir Gus O'Donnell (Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service), Sir Leigh Lewis (permanent secretary, Department for Work and Pensions) and Ed Smith (non-executive director, Department for Transport).
	Ms Homer's previous experience of transport policy stems from her local authority days, latterly as chief executive of Birmingham city council, the largest local authority in the UK, where she had responsibility for highways, public transport and airports. Earlier in her career, she acted as legal advisor on transport schemes, including road inquiries, compulsory purchase order work and commercial matters.

Transport: Snow and Ice

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contingency plans his Department has made to respond to flooding on the transport network resulting from melting snow.

Norman Baker: Transport operators and highway authorities have well-established mitigation arrangements and contingency plans in place to cover a range of seasonal weather conditions, including all aspects of flooding. The Department for Transport works with the Met Office and the Environment Agency to pay particular attention to possible impacts on transport networks. The ministerial winter resilience network has regularly reviewed the risk of flooding that might arise from melting snow.

Transport: Standards

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether decisions to proceed with local authority major transport schemes will be taken using the new appraisal methodology;
	(2)  whether local authority major transport schemes included in the development pool will be subject to the new appraisal methodology.

Norman Baker: Decisions on whether or not to proceed with local authority schemes will be made using a range of criteria and in a way that is consistent with the wider reform of decision making, on which an announcement will be made soon.
	As set out in the document "Investment in Local Major Transport Schemes" the criteria to be used for local authority schemes are likely to include:
	Value for money
	The proportion of overall funding contributions from non-Department for Transport sources
	Deliverability
	Strategic Importance
	A consideration of modal and regional balance across the programme.
	In respect of the value for money element, decisions on which schemes in the Pre-Qualification Pool may join the Development Pool will be based on existing Department for Transport appraisal guidance with some adjustments to reflect the priorities of the new Government, for example on carbon and indirect tax effects. For Development Pool schemes, on which decisions will be made at the end of 2011, value for money will be assessed using new appraisal guidance to be published in April 2011.

Transport: Voluntary Organisations

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential role of the voluntary sector in delivering active travel programmes sponsored by his Department.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport recognises that the voluntary sector has potentially an important role to play in the design and delivery of sustainable travel solutions.
	My statement of the 13 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 82-84WS, on the Local Sustainable Transport Fund made clear that bids from local transport authorities will be particularly welcomed if they can demonstrate support from, and the involvement of, voluntary and community organisations, and the private sector. Detailed guidance on the operation of the fund will be published shortly.

Virgin Rail: West Coast Railway Line

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the number of new carriages required by Virgin Rail Projects Ltd for the West Coast Mainline.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has authorised the purchase of an additional 106 new Pendolino carriages, including four new 11-car trains.
	Analysis by the Department for Transport indicated that the capacity and future development of the route would be best met by a mix of nine-car and 11-car Pendolino trains supplemented by a fleet of Voyagers.

Waterloo Station

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse of maintenance of Waterloo International terminal has been in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: The cost of maintenance of the Waterloo International terminal since the transfer of ownership to BRB (Residuary) Limited, which covers the last three years only, is as follows:
	
		
			£000 
			 2008-09 Actual 534 
			 2009-10 Actual 505 
			 2010-11 Budget 500 
		
	
	The Government are committed to ensuring that the former Eurostar platforms at Waterloo International terminal are brought back into use for domestic passenger services.

West Coast Railway Line: Overcrowding

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the level of overcrowding of West Coast main line services out of Euston station at peak times ; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport receives passenger counts data from train operators for travel on weekdays during spring and autumn survey periods. The latest data for West Coast Main Line departures from Euston shows that across the spring count period, the average load exceeded the planned capacity on 1.4% of services counted.
	Detailed crowding information for the West Coast Main Line may be available directly from the operator at the following address:
	Customer Relations
	Virgin Trains
	FREEPOST BM 6613
	PO Box 713
	Birmingham
	B5 4HH.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Terrorism: Offenders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what  (a) discussions he has had and  (b) representations he has received on the issue of on-the-runs since 6 May 2010.

Owen Paterson: The issue of on-the-runs has been raised with me by representatives of various political parties during our regular discussions.

SCOTLAND

Prisoners: Voting

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Interim Elections Management Board on the Government's proposals for voting by prisoners.

Michael Moore: The Government set out their position on the voting rights of prisoners in a statement to Parliament on 20 December 2010. The Government will be working closely with the Scottish Government and others before legislation is introduced on the practical implications of the approach.

Sea Rescue: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the proposed closure of coastguard stations in Scotland.

Michael Moore: On 16 December 2010, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency published a consultation with proposals to modernise the national Coastguard service. These include the establishment of a Maritime Operations Centre in Aberdeen and a sub-centre at either Shetland or Stornoway to replace the existing five Scottish Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres. I have discussed this issue, and others that affect Scotland, with the Secretary of State for Transport.

PRIME MINISTER

Taxation

John Spellar: To ask the Prime Minister what steps are taken before the award of honours to establish whether recipients and their companies pay tax in the UK.

David Cameron: Before candidates for honours are recommended to the Queen, inquiries are made to establish that they are not in breach of national laws.

Visits Abroad

Alan Campbell: To ask the Prime Minister how many overseas visits he has undertaken since his appointment; and what the  (a) duration and  (b) purpose of each visit was.

David Cameron: As set out in the Ministerial Code, details of all my overseas travel is published at least quarterly. Details of my overseas travel from May to September 2010 has been published on the No. 10 website at:
	http://transparency.number10.gov.uk/who.php

HOME DEPARTMENT

Assisted Return Scheme

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on the assisted return scheme in each of the last 12 months.

Damian Green: The total UK Border Agency cost of the assisted voluntary returns scheme for 2009-10 was £16.1 million giving an average monthly cost of £1.3 million.
	Costs for the current financial year 2010-11 will be available once the 2010-11 accounts have been audited.

Asylum

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 546W, on asylum: deportation, how many of the 176 asylum seekers who have absconded after receiving deportation notices since May 2010 have subsequently been detained.

Damian Green: We have assumed 'deportation notices' to mean 'removal notices'.
	Between 1 May 2010 and 31 October 2010, 176 failed asylum seekers (main applicants and their dependants) absconded after being served with removal directions. Of these 176 asylum seekers, 42 have subsequently been detained between 1 May 2010 and 10 December 2010, the UK Border Agency is currently in contact with an additional 15, and a further two were removed from the UK without being served removal directions.

Asylum Seekers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many adult asylum seekers had been  (a) granted and  (b) refused permission to remain in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: The information requested is not available. In order to produce the information the statistics on asylum applications and statistics on settlement would need to be cross referenced at disproportionate cost.
	Statistics are published on the number of asylum applications, initial decisions and outcomes of appeal hearings.
	Separately, information is published on grants and refusals of leave to remain and settlement (which will include data on both asylum and non- asylum applicants).
	These data are published in the Control of Immigration publications available from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	The latest published data on asylum applications and initial decisions are provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependents, by location of application, and initial decisions( 1,2) , Q1 2007 to Q3 2010 
			  Number of principal applicants 
			   Applications received  Initial decisions 
			   Cases considered under normal procedures 
			  Qtr/ year  Total applications  Applied at port  Applied in country  Total initial decisions  Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum   Recognised as a refugee but granted humanitarian protection   Not recognised as a refugee but granted discretionary leave  
			  2007   
			 Q1 5,720 820 4,895 6,050 900 (15) 30 (1) 565 (9) 
			 Q2 4,960 810 4,150 5,930 835 (14) 40 (1) 520 (9) 
			 Q3 5,885 1,040 4,845 5,225 910 (17) 30 (1) 590 (11) 
			 Q4 6,870 965 5,900 4,570 900 (20) 25 (1) 395 (9) 
			 2007 total 23,430 3,635 19,795 21,775 3,545 (16) 125 (1) 2,075 (10) 
			
			  2008   
			 Q1 6,645 705 5,940 4,455 915 (21) 25 (1) 455 (10) 
			 Q2 5,830 655 5,175 5,010 995 (20) 20 (0) 540 (11) 
			 Q3 6,685 685 6,000 5,230 870 (17) 25 (0) 540 (10) 
			 Q4 6,775 680 6,095 4,700 945 (20) 25 (0) 540 (11) 
			 2008 total 25,930 2,720 23,210 19,400 3,725 (19) 95 (0) 2,075 (11) 
			
			  2009( 5)   
			 Q1 8,430 545 7,880 5,080 1,480 (29) 20 (0) 600 (12) 
			 Q2 6,110 470 5,640 5,690 1,025 (18) 15 (0) 610 (11) 
			 Q3 5,110 505 4,605 7,155 865 (12) 25 (0) 650 (9) 
			 Q4 4,840 490 4,350 6,360 815 (13) 30 (0) 600 (9) 
			 2009 total 24,485 2,010 22,475 24,285 4,190 (17) 95 (0) 2,460 (10) 
			
			  2010( 5)   
			 Q1 4,355 395 3,955 5,445 795 (15) 20 (0) 500 (9) 
			 Q2 4,365 415 3,950 5,220 775 (15) 20 (0) 440 (8) 
			 Q3 4,440 430 4,010 5,060 895 (18) 25 (0) 360 (7) 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of principal applicants 
			   Initial decisions
			   Cases considered under normal procedures
			   Refusalsof which:  
			   Total refused   Refused asylum and exceptional leave after full consideration   Refused on safe third party grounds   Refused on non-compliance grounds   Applications withdrawn  Non-substantiated claims( 3)  Applications outstanding at end of period( 4) 
			  2007
			 Q1 4,555 (75) 3,695 (61) 345 (6) 515 (9) 255 n/a 5,800 
			 Q2 4,530 (76) 3,655 (62) 310 (5) 565 (10) 305 n/a 4,500 
			 Q3 3,695 (71) 2,860 (55) 295 (6) 540 (10) 335 n/a 4,800 
			 Q4 3,250 (71) 2,420 (53) 340 (7) 490 (11) 335 n/a 6,800 
			 2007 total 16,030 (74) 12,630 (58) 1,290 (6) 2,115 (10) 1,230 n/a 6,800 
			 
			  2008
			 Q1 3,060 (69) 2,225 (50) 435 (10) 405 (9) 375 n/a 8,600 
			 Q2 3,455 (69) 2,760 (55) 425 (9) 265 (5) 555 175 8,900 
			 Q3 3,795 (73) 3,220 (62) 425 (8) 150 (3) 810 420 9,500 
			 Q4 3,195 (68) 2,785 (59) 385 (8) 25 (1) 1,005 610 10,600 
			 2008 total 13,505 (70) 10,990 (57) 1,670 (9) 845 (4) 2,740 1,210 10,600 
			 
			 2009(5)
			 Q1 2,980 (59) 2,550 (50) 395 (8) 35 (1) 875 485 13,000 
			 Q2 4,045 (71) 3,475 (61) 540 (9) 25 (0) 810 445 12,600 
			 Q3 5,615 (78) 5,055 (71) 530 (7) 30 (0) 950 515 9,700 
			 Q4 4,910 (77) 4,485 (71) 405 (6) 20 (0) 710 345 7,400 
			 2009 total 17,545 (72) 15,565 (64) 1,875 (8) 105 (0) 3,345 1,790 7,400 
			 
			  2010( 5)
			 Q1 4,130 (76) 3,785 (70) 325 (6) 20 (0) 735 365 5,600 
			 Q2 3,985 (76) 3,660 (70) 300 (6) 25 (1) 615 295 4,100 
			 Q3 3,780 (75) 3,430 (68) 315 (6) 35 (1) 750 350 2,800 
			 n/a = not applicable (1) Figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest five (- = 0, * = one or two). Applications outstanding rounded to nearest 100. Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and exclude the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. (3) Where an applicant fails to attend an initial interview and therefore fails to substantiate their claim, their claim is treated as withdrawn. Data not available prior to April 2008. (4) Figures rounded to the nearest 100. The series on asylum cases awaiting an initial decision is based on a combination of different sources of information, including a manual count at the end of August 2001, which may have led to discrepancies over time. See the 'Introduction' section of the Control of Immigration: statistical summary, Q3 2010 for details on planned developments for this series. (5) Provisional figures.

Asylum: Children

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children aged  (a) under five years,  (b) between six and 11 and  (c) between 12 and 16 years are awaiting a decision on an application for asylum.

Damian Green: As of 21 December 2010, the numbers of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) awaiting a decision on an application for asylum were:
	 (a) four children under five years old.
	 (b) 12 children between six and 11 years old.
	 (c) 276 children between 12 and 16 years old.
	The length of time an applicant has been awaiting an asylum decision will vary depending upon the applicant's age when they entered the UK.
	All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
	More information regarding asylum claims for unaccompanied children can be found in the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary: United Kingdom-Third Quarter 2010, Supplementary Excel Tables 2c, 2d and 2e. This is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government plans to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 December 2010
	The United Kingdom Government take the sexual exploitation and abuse of children very seriously. We are currently in the process of assessing compliance with the Articles of the Convention.

Cybercrime

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cyber attacks against targets in the UK have been recorded since 2000; what the nature was of each such attack; and from what  (a) IP address and  (b) country each such attack originated.

James Brokenshire: The Government take the issue of cyber security very seriously and have recently announced additional funding of £650 million to protect the United Kingdom (UK) from threats from cyberspace. This work is managed by the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance (OCSIA), and they lead the work of all relevant Government Departments and agencies to ensure that the UK response is co-ordinated to deal with these threats. It would not be in the interests of the UK's national security to provide further details of cyber attacks against Government ICT systems. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.

Cybercrime: EU Action

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on tackling cyber attacks.

Nick Herbert: The UK Government continues to work closely with counterparts within the European Commission, representatives of European member states and the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) to increase levels of network security and resilience against cyber attacks.

Demonstrations: Parliament Square

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will discuss with Westminster city council its estimate of the time it will take to repair the pavement area around the grass in Parliament square;
	(2)  if she will discuss with the Mayor of London his estimate of the time it will take to restore Parliament square to its condition before the encampment of demonstrators.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has regular discussions with the Greater London authority and Westminster city council about the condition of Parliament square to ensure that this historic site can be used and enjoyed by everyone.

Departmental Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many agency workers her Department and its agencies employ at each pay grade.

Nick Herbert: The data in the following table represents the number of agency workers currently employed by Home Office Headquarters, UK Border Agency, Identity Passport Service, and Criminal Records Bureau. The total number of full-time equivalent staff working in the Department and its agencies is 30,043.7. Grade
	
		
			   HOHQ  UKBA  CRB  IPS 
			 AA 1 50 0 0 
			 AO 3 113 0 0 
			 EO 13 19 0 0 
			 HEO 4 4 0 0 
			 SEO 2 0 1 0 
			 SEC 0 4 0 0 
			 PA 1 1 0 0

Departmental Pay

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff employed by her Department were not paid at a rate equivalent to or above the London living wage in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: There were no employees paid at a rate less than the London living wage in November 2010.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the effect of the increase in the standard rate of value added tax on her Department's annual expenditure.

Nick Herbert: It is not possible to provide an estimate of the increase in VAT on Home Office expenditure without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Departmental spending review settlements are set on a tax-inclusive basis, including the increase to the standard rate of VAT.

Detention Centres: Children

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children aged  (a) under five,  (b) six to 11 and  (c) 12 to 16 years are being held in each immigration detention centre.

Damian Green: The latest published figures show that of the five children (figure rounded to the nearest five) detained in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre as at 30 September 2010, fewer than three children were held in each of the  (a) under five,  (b) six to 11 and  (c) 12 to 16 age groups. Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre was the only centre that held children aged 16 or under as at 30 September 2010.
	The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement of 16 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 125-127WS, which included the announcement of the immediate closure of Yarl's Wood to children. This Government are committed to ending the detention of children for immigration purposes.

Drugs

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of the control of mephedrone on levels of use of  (a) mephedrone and  (b) cocaine and amphetamines.

James Brokenshire: There has been no assessment of the effects on the level of use of mephedrone, cocaine and amphetamines following the control of mephedrone under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
	New questions on mephedrone were included in the British crime survey in April 2010. The results will be available in 2011. Seizure data on mephedrone, cocaine and amphetamines for 2010-11 will also be available in the autumn of 2011.

Firearms: Licensing

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for a firearms licence were refused in each of the last five years in  (a) Newcastle upon Tyne and  (b) the UK.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 20 December 2010
	Data on refused firearm certificates are available for England and Wales and can be broken down only by police force area. The available data therefore relate to refused new and renewal firearm certificates in England and Wales and Northumbria police force and are given in the following table. These are taken from the most recent Home Office Statistical Bulletin on firearm certificates, which is available at:
	http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0510.pdf
	Due to the transition from in-force data collection systems to the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) in 2006, firearm certificates data for 2006-07 are not available centrally. Data for 2009-10 are scheduled for publication in March 2010.
	
		
			  New and renewal firearm certificate applications refused in Northumbria police force and England and Wales, 2004-05 to 2008-09 
			  Number( 1) 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 2)  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Northumbria  
			 New applications refused 2 2 - - 2 
			 Renewal applications refused 1 1 - 2 1 
			   
			  England and Wales  
			 New applications refused 150 90 - 123 133 
			 Renewal applications refused 10 40 - 50 24 
			 (1) Figures up to 2005-06 are rounded; since 2007-08 figures are unrounded.  (2) Figures are not available due to the transition from in-force data collection systems to the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) in 2006.

Firearms: Licensing

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) shotgun and  (b) firearm certificate applications were refused in (i) Cumbria, (ii) Cornwall and (iii) Berkshire in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office collects data on the number of applications for shotgun and firearms certificates which were refused at police force area level. As such, data are provided in Tables A and B for (i) Cumbria, (ii) Devon and Cornwall and (iii) Thames Valley. Data are provided for 2008-09 as these are the latest data currently available. Further information can be found in 'Firearm Certificates in England and Wales 2008/09' on the Home Office website at:
	http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0510.pdf
	
		
			  Table A: Shotgun certificates-applications for grant and renewal, 2008-09, Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall and Thames Valley 
			  Number 
			   Applications 
			   New applications  Renewal applications 
			  Police force area  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused 
			 Cumbria 370 2 335 - 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,039 17 851 3 
			 Thames Valley 1,426 19 1,355 6 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B:  Firearm certificates- applications for grant, renewal and variation, 2008/09, Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall and Thames Valley 
			  Number 
			   Applications 
			   New applications  Renewal applications  Variation of certificate 
			  Police force area  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused 
			 Cumbria 207 2 207 - 185 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 657 6 453 - 508 1 
			 Thames Valley 441 2 482 - 328 1 
		
	
	Data for 2009-10 are scheduled for publication in March 2011.

Firearms: Licensing

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) shotgun and  (b) firearm certificate applications were refused in the (i) Metropolitan Police Service area, (ii) West Midlands Police Service area and (iii) Greater Manchester police service area in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: Data are provided at police force area level in Tables A and B for (i) Metropolitan police, (ii) west midlands and (iii) Greater Manchester. Data are provided for 2008-09 as these are the latest data currently available. Further information can be found in 'Firearm Certificates in England and Wales 2008/09' on the Home Office website at:
	http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0510.pdf
	
		
			  Table A: Shotgun certificates-applications for grant and renewal, 2008-09, Metropolitan police, west midlands, Greater Manchester 
			  Number 
			   Applications 
			   New applications  Renewal applications 
			  Police force area  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused 
			 Metropolitan police 1,750 52 1,346 10 
			 West midlands 343 5 294 1 
			 Greater Manchester 513 14 481 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Firearm certificates-applications for grant, renewal and variation, 2008-09, Metropolitan police, west midlands and Greater Manchester 
			  Number 
			   Applications 
			   New applications  Renewal applications  Variation of certificate 
			  Police force area  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused  Granted  Refused 
			 Metropolitan police 358 13 269 3 248 2 
			 West midlands 145 1 163 - 158 - 
			 Greater Manchester 179 7 192 2 157 - 
		
	
	Data for 2009-10 are scheduled for publication in March 2011.

Human Trafficking

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will meet Unseen (UK) to discuss the Government's proposed new policy on combating human trafficking.

Damian Green: The voluntary sector plays a key role in the identification of, and provision of support to, victims of human trafficking. We are strongly supportive of this role and will continue to work in partnership with voluntary organisations to reduce the incidence of human trafficking.
	Home Office officials will shortly be contacting non-governmental organisations to discuss development of the forthcoming strategy on human trafficking.

Human Trafficking

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with representatives of non-governmental organisations on her Department's strategy on combating human trafficking.

Damian Green: holding answer 20 December 2010
	Home Office officials will shortly be contacting non-governmental organisations to discuss development of the forthcoming strategy on human trafficking.
	The voluntary sector plays a key role in the identification of, and provision of support to, victims of human trafficking. We are strongly supportive of this role and will continue to work in partnership with voluntary organisations to reduce the incidence of human trafficking.

Human Trafficking

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to encourage information sharing between police forces in respect of human trafficking offences.

Damian Green: The sharing of such information is an operational matter for chief constables.
	The UK established the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) in 2006 as the repository of information on human trafficking and a centre of co-ordination for law enforcement efforts in combating human trafficking, including the provision of tactical advice through its 24-hour helpline.

Human Trafficking: Children

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there were for offences relating to child trafficking in each year since 2007.

Damian Green: There is no central record that holds details of the age of the victim in cases of human trafficking that have resulted in a conviction.

Immigration Controls

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that under her proposed changes to the immigration system, only  (a) senior managers and  (b) key specialists are permitted entry to the UK by means of the intra-company transfer scheme.

Damian Green: From April 2011, the Government will set a minimum salary requirement of £40,000 for intra-company transferees entering for over 12 months, ensuring that extended transfers are available only to managers and specialists. Other transferees will be able to enter for up to 12 months so long as they are paid at least £24,000.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letter sent to her by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 2 November 2010 with regard to Ms N Mahmeed.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 14 December 2010
	I apologise for the delay in replying. The Minister for Security and Counter-Terrorism, my noble Friend Baroness Neville-Jones, replied on 17 December 2010. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Police: Demonstrations

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether 
	(1)  she has received any representations from  (a) the police and  (b) other (i) individuals and (ii) organisations on the policing and conduct of the demonstrations held on 24 November 2010;
	(2)  she plans to report to the House on the policing of demonstrations in central London and elsewhere on 24 November 2010;
	(3)  she has had discussions with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on  (a) the containment practices deployed to maintain public order at demonstrations and  (b) the MPS's assessment of containment practices on 24 November 2010;
	(4)   (a) she and  (b) the Minister for Policing have requested a report from the Metropolitan Police Service on the policing of the demonstrations in Whitehall on 24 November 2010; and whether it is her policy to request reports in cases of public disorder as a matter of course.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has received a wide range of representations about the policing of the student protest on 24 November 2010. The Home Office also received a short report from the Metropolitan police which covered the use of containment to maintain public order. The Government may seek reports from the police where there has been public disorder in order to respond to public and parliamentary interest and to help inform the development of Government policy. There are no plans to make a statement to the House about the protests on 24 November.

Police: Demonstrations

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the cost to the public purse was of policing the demonstrations in  (a) the area around Parliament and  (b) other areas of London on 9 December 2010;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse was of policing the demonstrations in the area around Parliament on 24 November 2010;
	(3)  what the cost to the public purse was of policing the demonstrations in the area around Parliament on 10 November 2010  (a) before and  (b) after the incidents at Millbank Tower.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not hold this information.

Police: Training

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether training is available to police officers to help them recognise emotional distress and anxiety in people who are suicidal; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: On joining the police service all police officers undertake a two-year programme called the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP). The IPLDP includes topics that help police officers recognise emotional distress and anxiety in people no matter what the cause.

Special Constables: Greater London

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of deploying special constables as a means of increasing police visibility in London.

Nick Herbert: The Government are strongly supportive of special constables. Decisions relating to their deployment are the responsibility of chief officers of individual police forces, in accordance with local policing priorities.

Visas: Students

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the removal of  (a) the two-year post-study visa and  (b) the highly-skilled visa on (i) student numbers and (ii) revenue of universities offering MSc and MBA courses to overseas students.

Damian Green: The two-year post-study work and highly-skilled visas relate to work in the UK not to study, so there will be no direct impact of changes to these routes on universities.
	We are presently consulting on the proposals to reform the student visa route, which will provide an opportunity for education providers to comment on the impact of the proposal to close the Tier 1 post-study work route. International students with a job offer are able to take employment through Tier 2 of the points based system upon graduation.

Visas: TB Screening Programme

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the effectiveness of the TB Visa Screening Programme.

Damian Green: UK Border Agency and Department of Health officials are undertaking an interim review of the effectiveness of the pilot TB Visa Screening programme. Visa applicants from 15 countries who intend to travel to and remain in the United Kingdom for a period of over six months are screened for TB by the International Organization for Migration. The outcome of the review and any recommendations arising will inform subsequent discussions between Home Office and Health Department Ministers.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service: Standards

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Attorney-General what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Dominic Grieve: The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recently introduced a system to monitor performance against the CPS core quality standards. The CPS is subject to regular independent inspection by Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), whose reports on thematic topics and on CPS areas are published on their website. Additionally the Solicitor-General and I pay frequent visits to CPS offices throughout the country. I also meet regularly with both the DPP and the Chief Inspector of HMCSPI to discuss CPS performance.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Hywel Williams: To ask the Attorney-General what recent estimate he has made of the effect of the increase in the standard rate of value added tax on the Law Officers' Departments' annual expenditure.

Dominic Grieve: The departmental spending review settlements for the Law Officers' Departments are set on a tax-inclusive basis, including the increase in standard VAT.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences: Prosecutions

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Attorney-General what steps his Department plans to take to seek to increase the conviction rate for offences of  (a) domestic violence and  (b) sexual assault.

Dominic Grieve: Improving prosecutions and support for victims in violence against women (VAW) cases is a priority for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The CPS keeps under review its specific policies on prosecuting cases of domestic violence and rape. In January 2011, the CPS will launch a new VAW assurance scheme to help further improve VAW prosecutions. Convictions in domestic violence cases rose from 65% to 72% between 2006-07 and 2009-10. During that period, convictions for rape rose from 54% to 59%; and for sexual offences other than rape, from 68% to 76%.

Rape and Hate Crimes: Prosecutions

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutors specialising in  (a) rape and  (b) hate crime cases there were in each year since 2005.

Dominic Grieve: We are unable to provide figures for each year since 2005, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has trained and appointed a significant number of prosecutors as specialist rape prosecutors as part of a rolling programme in all 42 CPS areas. The appointment of specialist rape prosecutors is the responsibility of local Chief Crown Prosecutors (CCPs), who appoint specialist prosecutors in accordance with the requirements of their area. By the end of March 2011, all training for 2010-11 will be completed and information on the number of specialists will be available. All prosecutors are trained in and expected to deal with hate crime.

Witnesses: Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General what funding the Crown Prosecution Service plans to provide to witness care units in each year of the spending review period.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) plans to provide around £2.5 million of funding for witness care units in each year of the spending review 2010 period.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Press Freedom

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions his Office has provided embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010; in respect of how many such briefings his Office was informed that the embargo had been breached; what steps were taken as a result of each such breach; and on how many occasions his Office has provided media briefings without an embargo prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: The Deputy Prime Minister has made one Oral Statement to the House, on constitutional reform on 5 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 23-25. Publicity around this statement was entirely in line with the Ministerial Code.
	The Deputy Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office press office follows the Ministerial Code and ensures all important policy announcements are made in the House not the media.

Lockerbie: Bombings

Damian Collins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether the Cabinet Secretary's report of the review of papers relating to the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi will include advice from the British Embassy in Libya in relation to political, commercial and operational consequences of a decision not to release Al Megrahi; if he will place in the Library a copy of that advice; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what progress has been made in the Cabinet Secretary's review of papers relating to the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi; when he expects that review to conclude; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: holding answer 14 December 2010
	I have been asked to reply.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given by the Prime Minister on 6 September 2010,  Official Report, column 2W and 2 November 2010,  Official Report, column 681W.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Debts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the UK's Official Development Assistance will be spent on debt relief in each year from 2010-11 to 2013-14.

Andrew Mitchell: Over the spending review period we estimate that about 2.5% of UK Official Development Assistance will be in the form of debt relief. Due to uncertainties around individual country progress under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative it is not possible to provide a breakdown by year.

Developing Countries: Debts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to support the G8 objective to reduce the global average cost of transferring remittances from 10 per cent. to five per cent. over the next five years in respect of developing countries.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently working with the specialist microfinance organisation CGAP (the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to explore and demonstrate ways of using technology, such as mobile phones, to transfer remittances more cheaply, quickly and safely. We plan to conduct at least eight feasibility studies and three pilot projects by 2014.
	DFID is also supporting remittances programmes in several developing countries directly. For example, DFID has supported the Bangladesh Government's Remittance Payments and Partnership (RPP) Project, which is helping to drive down transfer costs. The RPP has contributed to reductions of some 50% that have occurred on transfers between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh. DFID is also working with the FinMark Trust to reduce the average cost of transferring remittances from South Africa to five other Southern Africa Development Community countries by at least 30% by 2014. In Pakistan, DFID supports the State Bank's Remittance Initiative which is working to facilitate the cheaper and faster transfer of remittances. Going forward, we will continue to explore opportunities to support the G8 cost reduction objective.

Developing Countries: Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in which countries his Department provides funding for non-governmental organisations combating human trafficking.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) currently funds the Salvation Army's Anti-Child Trafficking Project in Malawi. We are also planning a new regional programme aiming to reduce human trafficking in South Asia, which will include work with non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
	As well as working with NGOs, DFID works to combat human trafficking with developing country governments and United Nations agencies. We are a leading financier of social protection programmes, which address short-term and long-term vulnerabilities that can put people at risk of trafficking.

Overseas Aid

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to involve diaspora groups in the UK in development projects in their countries of origin.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports diaspora groups to contribute to development outcomes in their countries and continents of heritage through the Diaspora Volunteering Programme. So far the programme has supported over 400 volunteers to complete placements in 15 countries including Ghana, Ethiopia and Nepal. Diaspora groups are also able to access other DFID supported volunteering or twinning programmes, such as the Global Community Links programme.
	DFID also engages diaspora groups in consultations on the design of our programmes via newsletters, events and through the diaspora media.

Overseas Aid

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to achieve the target of spending 0.7% of gross national income on international aid from 2013.

Andrew Mitchell: The Government are fully committed to meeting the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) on aid from 2013, and will enshrine this commitment in law. This legislation would make the UK the first G8 (and G20) country to make a lasting commitment to 0.7%. The financial resources required to meet this target have been clearly set out in the spending review.
	In terms of developing plans to meet this commitment, I have initiated three thorough reviews of UK bilateral aid, multilateral aid and humanitarian emergency response programmes. These reviews will determine how we can accelerate progress towards the millennium development goals and achieve maximum value for money for the UK taxpayer. This includes identifying priority countries and sectors where UK aid will have the greatest impact on the world's poor, as well as the most effective mechanisms for delivering aid. The full results of these reviews will be announced in spring 2011 and will form the basis for the Department for International Development's (DFID's) operational plans. These plans will set out how DFID intends to achieve the spending target of 0.7% of GNI from 2013. We will closely monitor and manage progress against the target.

Overseas Aid

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's aid budget in 2014-15 will be spent on Official Development Assistance.

Andrew Mitchell: We anticipate that 99% of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) total departmental expenditure limit (T-DEL) will be spent on Official Development Assistance in 2014-15. The remaining expenditure will be used to uphold UK Government commitments which do not qualify as ODA, under the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD's) definition.

Tanzania: BAE Systems

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) correspondence,  (b) discussions and  (c) meetings there have been between (i) Ministers and (ii) officials of his Department and (A) their counterparts in other departments and (B) the Serious Fraud Office on the sale by BAE of an air traffic control system to Tanzania and the subsequent prosecution of BAE; what assessment he has made of (1) the settlement reached between the Serious Fraud Office and BAE in the case and (2) arrangements for the disbursement of the sum to be paid by BAE to Tanzania; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: Department for International Development (DFID) Ministers have had no correspondence, discussions or meetings with counterparts in other Government Departments or with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) related to the sale by BAE to Tanzania of an air traffic control system, and to the subsequent prosecution. DFID has not made an assessment of the settlement of the agreement reached between the SFO and BAE in this case, as the decision to settle was entirely a matter for the SFO.
	Following the SFO's decision to reach a settlement with BAE, the director of the SFO wrote to the permanent secretary at DFID on 5 February 2010 requesting the Department's advice on ensuring that any money paid by BAE to Tanzania, as a result of the settlement, would be used for the benefit of the people of Tanzania, with propriety and transparency. DFID officials have had a number of meetings with SFO and the Government of Tanzania to support the development of a proposal by the Government of Tanzania, which would achieve that outcome in a way that is transparent, represents good value for money and delivers specific and measurable results. The final arrangement between BAE and the Government of Tanzania is subject to agreement between BAE and the SFO.

UN Agencies: Finance

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department provided to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in each of the last five years.

Andrew Mitchell: Department for International Development (DFID) funding to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Calendar year  Core funding  Other funding  Total 
			 2006 19,000,000 8,233,583 27,233,583 
			 2007 19,000,000 7,192,280 26,192,280 
			 2008 19,000,000 10,609,587 29,609,587 
			 2009 19,000,000 6,828,600 25,828,600 
			 2010 19,000,000 16,715,000 35,715,000

UN Agencies: Finance

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department provided to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in each of the last five years.

Andrew Mitchell: Department for International Development (DFID) funding to the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Calendar year  Core  funding (£)  Other  funding (£)  Total (£) 
			 2006 7,145,000 4,619,685 11,764,685 
			 2007 7,170,000 2,417,200 9,587,200 
			 2008 7,185,000 3,630,145 10,815,145 
			 2009 7,000,000 6,386,482 13,386,482 
			 2010 7,000,000 3,135,024 10,135,024

UN Agencies: Finance

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department provided to UNICEF in each of the last five years.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government's contribution to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Financial year  Core funding  Other funding  Total funding 
			 2006 19.00 69.91 88.91 
			 2007 21.00 72.34 93.34 
			 2008 21.00 86.42 107.42 
			 2009 21.00 114.39 135.39 
			 2010 21.00 137.80 158.80

UN Agencies: Finance

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department provided to the UN Development Programme in each of the last five years.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government's contribution to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in each of the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Financial year  Core funding  Other funding  Total 
			 2006 50.00 171.35 221.35 
			 2007 55.00 153.33 208.33 
			 2008 55.00 197.73 252.73 
			 2009 57.82 285.20 343.02 
			 2010 55.00 186.16 241.16

UN Women

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Bow of 3 November 2010,  Official Report, column 828W, on UN Women's Agency: finance, by what means his Department will evaluate how UN Women has delivered and demonstrated value for money in the past, as part of the multilateral aid review.

Andrew Mitchell: The Multilateral Aid Review (MAR) has considered how agencies have delivered value for money using a range of criteria. These include assessing how well the organisation has delivered on the basis of their track record in delivering results, their strategic and financial management, and their fit with the Government's priorities for poverty reduction.
	UNIFEM is the largest of the organisations that has been merged to create UN Women. The MAR has assessed UNIFEM using the same criteria that has been applied to other organisations. The Government will take these findings into account when considering financial commitments to UN Women.

UN Women

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on the participation of civil society in the UN Women's Agency.

Andrew Mitchell: I met the Head of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, during the Millennium Development Goal Summit in September last year. The Government continue to encourage UN Women to work closely with civil society. We plan to organise a meeting in London in the next few months that will bring together UK Government officials, civil society organisations and senior UN Women staff to discuss the agency's objectives and priorities.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Norfolk

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his most recent assessment is of the level of access to broadband in Norfolk; and what steps his Department is taking to increase that level.

Edward Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK is assessing current broadband provision at community level across the UK in its work to deliver the coalition Government's objective to facilitate universal broadband access of at least 2Mbps.
	The Government have committed £530 million up to 2015 to facilitate commercial investment in superfast broadband commencing with the superfast broadband pilots announced earlier this year. In addition, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport announced a further £50 million tranche of funding for the next wave of projects to be announced in May 2011.
	Broadband Delivery UK will work with local authorities who should prepare local broadband plans to form the basis of any bid for project funding.

Broadband: Norfolk

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of households in each parliamentary constituency in Norfolk with access to broadband at speeds of 2Mb or above.

Edward Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK has modelled the current broadband provision at community level across the UK in its work to deliver the Government's objective to facilitate universal broadband access of at least 2Mbps, but has not made the data public because it is the subject of a non-disclosure agreement with the supplier of the raw data.

Churches: Repairs and Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many applications under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme were refused in 2009-10.

John Penrose: The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme makes grants equivalent to the amount of VAT incurred in making repairs to listed buildings mainly used for worship. In 2009-10, the records show that 1,209 claims were initially rejected with queries, however, it is understood that in most cases claims are subsequently resolved and resubmitted for payment.

Creative Industries

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of creative industries to economic growth.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not produce statistics on the contribution of the creative industries specifically to economic growth. However, we estimate that the contribution of the creative industries to the economy as a whole was 5.6% of gross value added (GVA) in 2008.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many political advisers have been appointed in his Department since May 2010; and at what cost to the public purse.

Jeremy Hunt: Since May 2010, my Department has appointed two special advisers. Their total costs to the public purse as at 30 November 2010 are £69,821.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many policy advisers have been appointed in his Department since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of such appointments.

Jeremy Hunt: Since May 2010, my Department has appointed two special advisors, who provide input on policy, with a cost to the public purse of £69,821 as at 30 November 2010. The Department has not appointed any further new policy advisors.

Departmental Official Cars

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on ministerial cars since May 2010.

Jeremy Hunt: The total spend by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on ministerial cars from May-November 2010 was £57,348.41. Of this, £2,665.30 relates to charges incurred by current Ministers, and the balance was paid as a result of the early termination of the Government Car Service contracts during the year.

Departmental Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps  (a) his Department,  (b) its agency and  (c) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible have taken to comply with the Guidance of the Office of Government Commerce on promoting skills through public procurement issued in 2009.

John Penrose: The promotion of skills through public procurement has mainly been undertaken through the letting of our key contracts; such as our facilities management, IT and mailroom contracts. Through these we have sought to engage with our suppliers to encourage better skills and the use of apprenticeships.
	On all major projects submitted by our Arm's Length Bodies, these elements are investigated by the Departmental Investment Committee, which our procurement team forms part of in an advisory role.
	I have asked the chief executives of our Arm's Length Bodies to write to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North directly regarding the steps they have taken to comply with the Guidance of the Office of Government Commerce on promotion of skills through public procurement. Copies of the responses will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Departmental Redundancy

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of redundancies, including the payment of pensions, as a result of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the savings which will accrue to his Department from redundancies during the comprehensive spending review period.

Jeremy Hunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 November 2010,  Official Report, column 42-43W, to the hon. Member for Wallasey (Ms Eagle).

Departmental Training

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many residential staff training events his Department has funded since May 2010; and what the cost was of each such event.

Jeremy Hunt: From May to December 2010 the Department purchased a total of 74 training events and activities, some of which will have been residential, at a cost of £115,729. The Department does not keep a separate record of those training events which are residential.

Departmental Travel

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel since May 2010.

Jeremy Hunt: The total amount spent by my Department on ministerial travel from May 2010 to the end of November 2010 was £12,840.89.

Internet: Harassment

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of harassment and bullying on social networking sites.

Tim Loughton: I have been asked to reply.
	Tackling bullying, including bullying using new technology, is a top priority for this Government. That is why in our Schools White Paper, "The Importance of Teaching", we announced measures to ensure head teachers take a strong stand against bullies and bullying. In addition, the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), which is chaired by Department for Education and Home Office Ministers and comprises over 170 organisations, is continuing its work with industry, including social networking sites, on self-regulation and good practice sharing, to help to keep young people safe online.

Olympic Delivery Authority: Contracts

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many contracts the Olympic Delivery Authority has been awarded to firms located in  (a) Wales,  (b) each region of England,  (c) Scotland,  (d) Northern Ireland and  (e) elsewhere up to and including 30 November 2010.

Hugh Robertson: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is responsible for developing and building the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 games. As of November 2010, over 1,400 businesses, including those directly involved in the construction programme, have supplied the ODA from across all of the devolved Nations and English regions.
	The number of the ODA's direct suppliers, by Nation and English region (according to their registered address) can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Regional development agency  Number of suppliers 
			 East Midlands 44 
			 East of England 135 
			 London 726 
			 North East 21 
			 North West 53 
			 South East 218 
			 South West 60 
			 West Midlands 58 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 40 
			 Northern Ireland 5 
			 Scotland 25 
			 Wales 11 
			 Overseas 37 
			 Total 1,433 
		
	
	These figures only account for the contracts awarded by the ODA to its own top tier of contractors (tier one contractors). The figures do not include contracts further down the supply chain, in tiers two, three and so on, which are awarded by the tier one contractors and not by the ODA. The ODA estimates that tens of thousands of more contracts will be generated throughout its supply chains. More information on businesses that have won games-related contracts can be found at the business section of the London 2012 website at the following link:
	http://www.london2012.com/business

Olympic Delivery Authority: Contracts

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent estimate the Olympic Delivery Authority has made of the number of contracts remaining to be let in respect of the London 2012 Olympics; and what estimate has been made of the monetary value of those contracts.

Hugh Robertson: As of the end of November, the Olympic Delivery Authority estimate there are 122 contracts remaining, with an estimated monetary value of £202 million. This may be in the form of new contracts or amendments to existing contracts. These direct procurements will in turn generate hundreds more business opportunities in the supply chains.

Olympic Games 2012: Construction

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the monetary value was of London 2012 Olympics construction contracts awarded to companies registered in  (a) Wales,  (b) each region of England,  (c) Scotland,  (d) Northern Ireland and  (e) elsewhere up to and including 1 December 2010.

Hugh Robertson: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is responsible for developing and building the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 games. As of 1 December 2010, over 1,400 businesses, including those directly involved in the construction programme, have supplied the ODA from across the devolved nations and the English regions.
	The spend to date by the ODA, by nation and English region (based on their registered address on the supplier invoice), can be found in the tables.
	
		
			  Nation  Total contract value (£) 
			 Scotland 23,367,258 
			 Wales 668,663 
			 Northern Ireland 17,094,646 
			 England 5,565,304,398 
			 Outside the UK 12,224,949 
		
	
	
		
			  English Region  Total Contract Value (£) 
			 London 3,148,804,475 
			 South East 816,822,052 
			 East of England 719,818,580 
			 West Midlands 425,371,681 
			 East Midlands 271,823,439 
			 North West 97,055,679 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 66,407,039 
			 North East 9,644,108 
			 South West 9,557,345 
			 Total 5,565,304,398 
		
	
	These figures only account for the contracts awarded by the ODA to its own top tier of contractors (tier one contractors). The figures do not include the values of contracts further down the supply chain, in tiers two, three and so on, which are awarded by the tier one contractors and not by the ODA. For example, the steel for the aquatics centre was provided by Rowecord in Newport, a contract worth millions of pounds, Cardiff-based Euroclad have won contracts on both the Olympic stadium and the media centre, whilst Vannplastic from Saltney produced decking boards for the new facilities at Weymouth and Portland, where the sailing events will take place in 2012. The ODA estimates that the total value of supply chain contracts to the regions runs into hundreds of millions of pounds, but these are not public procurements and so the full value of contracts won across the UK is not captured by the figures provided. The ODA estimates that overall up to 50,000 contracts will be generated throughout its supply chains.

UK Film Council: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what projects in Wales the UK Film Council has supported in each of the last five years.

Edward Vaizey: The table lists both lottery and grant in aid (GIA) awards made to Wales in the last five years. It should be noted that while the table identifies UK Film Council (UKFC) supported projects in Wales, there are numerous cases where Welsh projects benefited from UKFC funds which were not allocated directly to Wales.
	
		
			  Org  Type  Organisation name  Disposition date  Grant amount (£)  Project title 
			 UKFC Lottery Aberystwyth University 5 March 2008 28,395.00 Aberystwyth Arts Centre Cinema 
			 UKFC GIA The Festivals Company Limited 16 August 2007 10,000.00 Award Sponsorship: The Iris Prize 
			 UKFC Lottery Chapter (Cardiff) Ltd 28 March 2007 47,411.76 Chapter Cinema 
			 UKFC Lottery Chapter (Cardiff) Ltd 8 August 2007 10,443.00 Chapter Cinema 
			 UKFC Lottery Chapter (Cardiff) Ltd 5 March 2008 35,000.00 Chapter Cinema 
			 UKFC Lottery Cine-UK Ltd 4 May 2005 94,780.14 Cineworld Cardiff (formerly UGC) 
			 UKFC Lottery Cine-UK Ltd 4 May 2005 50,514.69 Cineworld Llandudno 
			 UKFC Lottery Cine-UK Ltd 4 May 2005 47,390.07 Cineworld Newport (formerly UGC) 
			 UKFC Lottery Clwyd Theatr Cymru Development Trust 21 June 2006 22,030.59 Clwyd Theatr Cymru Film Theatre 
			 UKFC Lottery Red and Black Films Ltd 31 March 2010 8,000.00 Cyrano 
			 UKFC GIA The Festivals Company Limited 17 November 2010 15,000.00 Iris Prize Festival 2011 
			 UKFC Lottery Monmouthshire county council 8 September 2004 5,000.00 Monmouthshire county council 
			 UKFC Lottery Montgomery Movie Club 8 September 2004 1,248.00 Montgomery Movie Club 
			 UKFC Lottery Denbighshire county council 5 March 2008 4,300.00 Scala Cinema and Arts Centre 
			 UKFC GIA The Festivals Company Limited 9 June 2010 22,173.00 The Iris Prize Short Film Festival 
			 UKFC Lottery The Valleys Film Society 8 September 2004 4,811.00 The Valleys Film Society 
			 UKFC Lottery Theatr Mwldan 4 May 2005 47,411.76 Theatr Mwldan 
			 UKFC Lottery Theatr Mwldan 11 May 2005 11,187.00 Theatr Mwldan 
			 UKFC Lottery Theatr Mwldan 12 October 2005 4,000.00 Theatr Mwldan 
			 UKFC Lottery Undercurrents 8 September 2004 3,998.00 Undercurrents 
			 Skillset Lottery Cyfle 30 January 2007 77,078.00 New entrants 
			 Skillset Lottery International Film School Wales 16 December 2004 511,000.00 Skillset Screen Academy, Wales 
			 Skillset Lottery International Film School Wales 13 April 2007 219,500.00 Bursary Funding for Skillset Screen Academy Wales 2007-09 
			 Skillset Lottery Cyfle 3 July 2007 57,986.00 Micro-Movies, CPD Training Scheme 
			 Skillset Lottery International Film School Wales 1 August 2007 231,900.00 Skillset Screen Academy Course Enhancement and Outreach 
			 Skillset Lottery Cyfle 12 September 2007 26,952.00 Child Protection for the Film Industry 
			 Skillset Lottery Cyfle 18 April 2008 135,911.00 Cyfle New Entrants Film Training Provision 
			 Skillset Lottery International Film School Wales 6 April 2009 93,800.00 Skillset Screen Academy Course Enhancement and Outreach 
			 Skillset Lottery Cyfle 4 March 2009 55,000.00 Archive Media Management-Pilot 
			 Skillset Lottery International Film School Wales 6 April 2009 40,000.00 Academy funding 
			 Skillset Lottery International Film School Wales 8 October 2010 15,000.00 Innovative Exhibition Techniques for Managers 
			 First Light Lottery Flycatcher Films Ltd 2005 4,000 - 
			 First Light Lottery Valley and Vale Community Arts 2005 16,889 - 
			 First Light Lottery Tornado Films 2006 20,000 - 
			 First Light Lottery Flycatcher Films Ltd 2007 4,000 - 
			 First Light Lottery Valley and Vale Community Arts 2007 19,986 - 
			 First Light Lottery Monmouth Film School 2007 20,000 - 
			 First Light Lottery Menter laith 2007 20,900 - 
			 First Light Lottery Fairbridge Cymru 2007 24,566 - 
			 First Light Lottery Rural Media Company 2007 5,000 - 
			 First Light Lottery Small World Theatre 2008 1,570 - 
			 First Light Lottery Film 15 Productions Ltd 2008 16,500 - 
			 First Light Lottery Newport City Council Arts Development 2008 21,987 - 
			 First Light Lottery Cinetig 2008 25,000 - 
			 First Light Lottery Arts Connection 2008 5,000 - 
			 First Light Lottery Thomas Adams Media Arts Programme 2008 28,636 - 
			 First Light Lottery Flycatcher Films 2008 16,200 - 
			 First Light Lottery Who Cares? We Care! 2008 2,138 - 
			 First Light Lottery Cardiff People First 2008 3,000 - 
			 First Light Lottery Valley and Vale Community Arts 2009 4,915 - 
			 First Light Lottery FILM 15 Productions Ltd 2009 26,208 - 
			 First Light Lottery Cinetig 2010 28,000 - 
			 First Light Lottery Zoom Cymru Ltd 2010 4,920 - 
			 First Light Lottery Cardiff People First 2010 5,000 - 
			 UKFC GIA Iris Prize 2007 2007 10,000 - 
			 UKFC GIA Iris Prize 2008 2008 10,000 - 
			 UKFC GIA Iris Prize 2009 2009 20,000 - 
			 UKFC GIA Iris Prize 2010 2010 22,173 - 
			 UKFC GIA Iris Prize 2011 2011 15,000 - 
		
	
	In addition to the awards listed in the table, the UK Film Council has made grant in aid awards to Film Agency for Wales (formerly SGRIN), who make subsequent awards to a range of exhibition, education and development projects:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 160,000 
			 2006-07 160,000 
			 2007-08 160,000 
			 2008-09 160,000 
			 2009-10 160,000 
			 2010-11 128,000 
		
	
	Film Agency for Wales also received lottery funding from film 21st Century Literacy Strategy of £30,000 in 2009-10 and £20,000 in 2010-11.
	It should be noted that Arts Council Wales has responsibility for support film in Wales through the Lottery.

EDUCATION

Academies

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether  (a) the local education authority and  (b) any body other than the Secretary of State will have a formal role in academy school dispute resolution procedures.

Nick Gibb: Academies are required by the independent school standards regulations to have a complaints procedure which must be available on request to parents. The procedure must provide for complaints to be managed within clear timescales. If initial informal consideration does not resolve the complaint, then the procedure must also include steps to escalate a complaint through both a formal written stage and, if necessary, a hearing before a panel that includes at least one member who is independent of the academy.
	If the complaint cannot be resolved at school level the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) will be the next route of redress. The YPLA will review the evidence provided by the complainant and the academy to determine if the academy has followed its own complaints procedure or is in breach of a contractual or statutory obligation. If the academy has not followed its procedures or obligations it will be asked to do so to rectify any failings.

Academies

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in  (a) Coventry,  (b) West Midlands and  (c) England had registered an interest in becoming an academy school on the latest date for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 December 2010
	The list of primary and secondary schools within England that have registered an interest in academy status is available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/a0069811/schools-registering-interest-or-submitting-an-application
	This will be updated on a regular cycle. As of 14 July 2010, there were  (a) 10 schools in Coventry,  (b) 179 schools in West Midlands, including Coventry, and  (c) a total of 1,907 schools in England, including the west midlands.

Alternative Education

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of pupils who drop out of mainstream education in the latest period in which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 December 2010
	Information on pupils dropping out of schools is not collected, nor can it be accurately derived from the data currently collected on pupils.

Alternative Education

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of providing alternative education to pupils who have dropped out of mainstream schooling; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 December 2010
	For the financial year 2008-09 the net current expenditure by local authorities in England on "Education out of school" was £530 million. This total was taken from the local authority outturn statements and may be found in the "Outturn Summary-2008-09" report (line 75 column (m)). The figure provided, and other details on local authority budgets and spending, are available on the Department's section 251 website at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/strategy/financeandfunding/informationforlocalauthorities/section251/dataarchive/s52da/
	Education out of school includes provision for pupils who because of exclusion, illness or other reasons receive education outside school settings, in particular: expenditure on the provision of education at pupil referral units as defined in 'section 19 of the Education Act 1996'; pre-schoolers not in nursery school or maintained schools not including those at private or voluntary institutions; the implementation of behaviour support plans; home-tuition; individual teaching of sick children in hospital; education in social service establishments.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms will be in place to assist those schools whose project funding was reduced or cancelled in the Building Schools for the Future capital spending review in respect of capital funding for projects in the Spending Review period.

Nick Gibb: On 5 July 2010 the Secretary of State announced a review of the Department for Education's capital spending. The Capital Review, led by Sebastian James, will inform future capital investment in schools to ensure that the £15.8 billion of capital funding announced in the recent spending review is used to benefit the maximum number of children and young people.
	The review will make recommendations on appropriate mechanisms for delivering capital investment and consider the roles of the bodies involved. The review team is expected to complete its work by the end of the calendar year and the Secretary of State will announce decisions about capital funding, in the light of the review, as soon as possible in the new year.

Bullying

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to encourage schools to work together with local community groups, social services and health authorities to prevent bullying in  (a) schools and  (b) the wider community.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 25 November 2010
	Schools have the central role in tackling bullying and should decide when they need to access support from other agencies. Local authority leadership will also help influence the anti-bullying policies of other organisations in the community through the commissioning of services such as transport, care provision and voluntary sector support.
	On Tuesday 9 November I met with eight organisations that have an interest in tackling bullying to discuss the coalition Government's approach to tackling bullying. They were:
	Anti-Bullying Alliance;
	Diana Award;
	Schools Out;
	Council for Disabled Children;
	Mencap;
	Educational Action Challenging Homophobia (EACH);
	Stonewall; and
	Beatbullying.
	I have asked each of them to submit their ideas on how we can work support schools in tackling bullying.

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many families were referred to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in 2009-10.

Tim Loughton: CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) received a total of 56,824 referrals to their services in 2009-10. This information is set out in CAFCASS's annual report, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries.

Children: Domestic Violence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with representatives of child victims of domestic violence on the funding of services for those children.

Tim Loughton: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education have had specific discussions with representatives of child victims of domestic violence about funding for services for those children. I do, however, continue to have a dialogue with relevant groups through a violence against women advisory group and this has been a topic of discussion in various child safeguarding policy groups.

Children: Domestic Violence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for future funding of organisations supporting child victims of domestic violence.

Tim Loughton: The voluntary and community sector receives government funding through a variety of routes including direct funding, funding through arm's length bodies, through local authorities and from services commissioned by schools. Organisations supporting the child victims of domestic violence may access funding through one or more of these routes.
	In terms of direct national funding, the Department published a prospectus on 22 November 2010 seeking expressions of interest for a range of grant funded activities which have national significance. No decisions have been made yet about future direct DfE funding to individual organisations, including those supporting child victims of domestic violence, as it is expected that applicants will be notified of the outcomes of the first expression of interest stage by 22 December, and final decisions on grant awards will be made by 25 February 2011.

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many invoices his Department processed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: During the period from December 2009 to November 2010, DWP as a provider of shared services has processed 67,517 invoices (of which 1,630 related to Government Procurement Card (GPC) transactions) on behalf of the Department for Education and its predecessors. A breakdown of these figures is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Invoices 65,887 
			 GPC 1,630 
			 Total invoices 67,517

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people aged between 16 and 18 received assistance from the Learner Support Fund in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) the 2010-11 academic year to date; and how many such young people he expects to receive assistance from that fund in 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: The Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) has operational responsibility for discretionary learner support funding. YPLA figures are currently only available for the 2008/09 academic year. For 2008/09, a total of 293,906 awards were made to learners aged 16-19 covering 216,948 students.
	From 2011/12, decisions regarding the enhanced discretionary fund will be made locally, enabling schools, colleges and training providers to target support at those young people in greatest need. It is not, therefore, possible to estimate the proportion of young people entering an institution of further education in the 2011/12 academic year who will receive assistance under the new arrangements.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding he plans to allocate to the discretionary learner support fund in 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: The level of the enhanced discretionary learner support fund for each of the years covered by the spending review has yet to be confirmed.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he plans to provide to schools, colleges and training organisations on levels of financial support to students through the discretionary learner support fund following the ending of the education maintenance allowance.

Nick Gibb: We will work with representatives of schools, colleges and training providers to finalise the arrangements for the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, including how the funding will flow to institutions and what guidance is required to administer the fund effectively.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people he expects to receive grants from the Discretionary Learner Support Fund in its first full year of operation.

Nick Gibb: Decisions regarding the new discretionary fund will be made locally, enabling schools, colleges and training providers to target support at those young people in greatest need. It is not, therefore, possible to estimate the proportion of young people entering an institution of further education in the 2011-12 academic year who will receive support under the new arrangements.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what allocation each school and college in Warrington North constituency will receive from the Discretionary Support Fund in the financial year 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 2 December 2010
	The enhanced discretionary learner support fund replacing EMA will enable schools, colleges and training providers more effectively to target those young people who actually need the support to enable them to participate in learning.
	We plan to allocate the enhanced funding in line with the timetable for overall funding allocations for schools and colleges, which will be made by the end of March.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what financial assistance will be available to young people not already in receipt of education maintenance allowance who start a course in further education after 1 January 2011.

Nick Gibb: Where young people not already in receipt of, or assessed as eligible for, education maintenance allowance (EMA) who start a course in further education after 1 January 2011 are facing financial barriers to participation, schools and colleges will be able to agree whether they should benefit under the existing arrangements for discretionary learner support funding.
	From September 2011 the enhanced learner support fund replacing EMA will be administered by schools and colleges, enabling them to support those young people who face a real financial barrier to participation.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Warrington North of 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 593W, on education maintenance allowance: public expenditure, when he expects funding for education maintenance allowance in academic year 2011-12 to be available to students; which agency will be responsible for the administration of that funding; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 December 2010
	The EMA scheme will close entirely at the end of the 2010/11 academic year. Young people who are currently receiving the EMA, irrespective of how much of their course they have completed, will continue to receive it to the end of this academic year only. No funding will be allocated to EMA in the 2011/12 academic year.
	Young people who are continuing their education next September and need financial help may be eligible for support from the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, which replaces EMA, and will be administered by their school, college or training provider. The new funds will be available from the start of the 2011/12 academic year.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Warrington North on 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 593W, on education maintenance allowance: public expenditure, how many students  (a) in schools,  (b) in further education colleges and  (c) with training providers will have access to the funding allocated to education maintenance allowance in the academic year 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 December 2010
	 The EMA scheme will close entirely at the end of the 2010/11 academic year. Young people who are currently receiving the EMA, irrespective of how much of their course they have completed, will continue to receive it to the end of this academic year only. No funding will be allocated to EMA in the 2011/12 academic year.
	Young people who are continuing their education next September and need financial help may be eligible for support from the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, which replaces EMA, and will be administered by their school, college or training provider.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much of the funding currently provided for education maintenance allowance will be allocated to the  (a) Enhanced Learner Support Fund and  (b) National Scholarship Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The level of the enhanced discretionary learner support fund for each of the years covered by the spending review has yet to be confirmed.
	None of the funding currently provided for education maintenance allowance will be allocated to the National Scholarship Fund, which is a matter for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to permit those students currently receiving an education maintenance allowance of £30 per week in the first year of their post-16 study to continue to receive that allowance in their second year.

Nick Gibb: The EMA scheme will close entirely at the end of the 2010/11 academic year. Young people who are currently receiving the EMA, irrespective of how much of their course they have completed, will continue to receive it to the end of this academic year only.
	Young people who are continuing their education next September and need financial help may be eligible for support from the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, which replaces EMA, and will be administered by their school, college or training provider.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of students currently receiving education maintenance allowance in  (a) Sunderland,  (b) the North East and  (c) England who will not qualify for the proposed pupil premium.

Nick Gibb: The pupil premium will support the attainment of disadvantaged pupils up to the age of 16 and incentivise good schools to take on pupils from more disadvantaged backgrounds. The ending of education maintenance allowance (EMA) will have no impact on which pupils attract the pupil premium, as EMA is solely for young people post 16. EMA will be replaced with targeted support for those who face genuine financial barriers to participation post 16.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has commissioned on whether there is a deadweight cost associated with education maintenance allowance.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 December 2010
	Evaluation evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots as well as more recent research commissioned by the previous Administration and undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research, suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after age 16 even if they had not received EMA.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what evidence he has evaluated in determining whether there is a deadweight cost associated with education maintenance allowance.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 December 2010
	We have considered the evaluation evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots as well as more recent research commissioned by the previous Administration and undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research. This evidence suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after age 16 even if they had not received EMA.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the contribution of the Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning of 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 640, on education maintenance allowance, what evidential basis he evaluated in determining that 90 per cent. of education maintenance allowance costs were deadweight.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 3 December 2010
	Evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots as well as more recent research commissioned by the previous Administration and undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research, suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after age 16 even if they had not received EMA.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what method he used to assess the effects of ending the education maintenance allowance system on the number of young people remaining in post-16 education in  (a) England and  (b) the Brighton and Hove local authority area; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: In reaching the decision to end the education maintenance allowance (EMA) we have looked closely at evaluation evidence and other research, which indicates that the scheme does not effectively target those young people who need financial support to enable them to continue in education. The evidence suggests that around 90% of the young people who receive EMA would still have continued in education if the scheme was not available.
	From September 2011, EMA will be replaced by an enhanced learner support fund that will be administered by schools and colleges themselves, targeting those young people who face a real financial barrier to participation.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria he uses to determine which questions on education maintenance allowance and its successor fund are answered by  (a) Ministers in his Department and  (b) the Chief Executive of the Young People's Learning Agency.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education funds and has policy responsibility for the education maintenance allowance (EMA) and other learner student schemes, including the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, and will respond to questions on matters of policy.
	The Young People's Learning Agency has operational responsibility for these schemes. We have agreed with the YPLA that they will respond to questions seeking operational details, for example, numbers of young people in receipt of EMA at a given time.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what equality impact assessment he undertook before making the decision to abolish the education maintenance allowance; and what the outcome was of any such assessment.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 13 December 2010
	Discussions on distributional impacts, including impacts on equality, informed the process for Spending Review discussions and decisions, and this Department has worked closely with HM Treasury to assess the impact on different sections of society.
	A full equality impact assessment for the introduction of the discretionary learner support fund will be published in due course as arrangements for the operation of the funding are being developed in consultation with schools, colleges and stakeholders.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the evidential basis was for his conclusion that 90 per cent. of recipients of education maintenance allowance would have stayed on in education after the age of 16 years without receiving such allowances.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 13 December 2010
	We have considered the evaluation evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots as well as more recent research commissioned by the previous Administration and undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research. This evidence suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after age 16 even if they had not received EMA.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what use he made of the report of the National Foundation for Educational Research in reaching his decision to abolish the education maintenance allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 13 December 2010
	Evidence from the recent research commissioned by the previous Administration and undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research, working in partnership with Triangle and QA Research, in addition to evidence from the education maintenance allowance pilots, suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after age 16 even if they had not received EMA. This evidence informed the basis upon which the Government took the decision to end EMA.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Public Expenditure

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Warrington North of 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 593W, on education maintenance allowance: public expenditure, whether young people who receive education maintenance allowance and will have completed 50% of their course by the start of academic year 2011-12 will continue to receive education maintenance allowance for the remainder of their course.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 25 November 2010
	The EMA scheme will close entirely at the end of the 2010/11 academic year, with no young people receiving EMA in the 2011/12 academic year.
	Young people who are continuing their education next September and need financial help with costs may be eligible for support from the enhanced discretionary learner support fund, which replaces EMA, and will be administered by their school, college or training provider.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Stoke-on-Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people resident in each local authority ward in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency are in receipt of education maintenance allowance.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member for Stoke on Trent Central with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 1 December 2010:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Questions PQ26989, PQ26990 and PQ26991 that asked:
	"How many young people resident in each local authority ward in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency are in receipt of education maintenance allowance."
	"How many young people resident in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency have received education maintenance allowance since its creation."
	"How many young people resident in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency receive education maintenance allowance."
	Information on the number of young people who have received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority Level, but not at constituency or ward level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	The table below shows the number of young people in receipt of EMA for Stoke-on-Trent Local Authority area.
	
		
			  Academic year  Take-up 
			 2006/07 3,574 
			 2007/08 3,617 
			 2008/09 3,369 
			 2009/10 4,260 
			 2010/11 (1)3,356 
			 (1 )At 31 October 2010. 
		
	
	EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08 2008/09 and 2009/10 is available on the YPLA website, at the following address:
	http://ema.ypla.gov.uk/resources/research/takeup/

Education: Assessments

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to bring forward proposals to reduce the expenditure of schools on examinations.

Nick Gibb: The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) has a statutory objective to secure efficiency and value for money in the provision of regulated qualifications. Ofqual is currently consulting on their approach to economic regulation, and Ministers support this important work. We have also asked Ofqual to look at the effects of recent changes to A levels and GCSEs, making it clear that we would support approaches that lead to fewer, more rigorous, exams which allow more freedom to teach and reduce the time and money spent on the examination process.

Education: Assessments

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he made of the average cost  (a) per maintained secondary school,  (b) per pupil in the maintained secondary sector and  (c) to the maintained secondary sector of public examinations in (i) 1996-97 and (ii) 2009-10.

Nick Gibb: The Department did not collect figures on public examinations until 2002-03. The available information on how much was spent for each maintained secondary school, for each pupil on public examinations is contained in the following table. The Department is currently undertaking validation checks on the s251 outturn data for the 2009-10 financial year. The information will not be publicly available until early January when it will be published as Official Statistics.
	
		
			  Spend by maintained secondary schools on examination fees 
			  £ 
			   Spent by maintained secondary schools  Per school  Per pupil 
			 2002-03 154,024,000 44,440 47 
			 2008-09 281,204,000 85,240 89 
			  Notes: 1. The financial information used in the answer to this PQ is taken from the Department's former section 52 data collection. Section 251 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children, and Learning Act 2009 now replaces section 52 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 in England. 2. Examination fees includes the costs of test and examination entry fees, and any accreditation costs related to pupils (including GCSEs, A/AS levels, GNVQs); administrative costs, e.g. external marking. 3. Pupil numbers used in the calculations include all FTE pupils attending maintained secondary or middle-deemed secondary schools in England in the financial years given. 4. The pupil numbers used are from the 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2009 January school census (with a ?-?weighting applied to give financial year figures). 5. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 29 November 2010.

Educational Underachievement

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the rate of educational underachievement.

Nick Gibb: The Schools White Paper 2010 "The Importance of Teaching" defines a new minimum or "floor" standard which we expect all schools to meet. For secondary schools, a school will be below the floor if fewer than 35% of pupils achieve the "basics" standard of 5 A*-C grade GCSEs including English and mathematics, and fewer pupils make good progress between key stage two and key stage four than the national average. Based on 2009 GCSE results, 437 secondary schools were below this floor standard.
	For primary schools, a school will be below the floor if fewer than 60% of pupils achieve the "basics" standard of level four in both English and mathematics and fewer pupils than average make the expected levels of progress between key stage one and key stage two. Based on 2009 key stage 2 results, 1,631 primary school were below this floor standard.

Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding from the ethnic minority achievement grant was allocated to each  (a) Black Caribbean,  (b) Black African,  (c) Black Other,  (d) Bangladeshi,  (e) Pakistani,  (f) Gypsy,  (g) Roma and Traveller and  (h) mixed heritage group in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: Currently each local authority receives an ethnic minority achievement grant based on an agreed formula. In 2010-11, ethnic minority achievement grant funding amounted to £201 million overall. The funding formula takes account of the number of minority ethnic pupils from underperforming groups and those with English as an additional language. The Department does not collect information on how much of a local authority's individual allocation supports each group of pupils mentioned in the question.

Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much ethnic minority achievement grant funding each local education authority in London received in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The amount of ethnic minority achievement grant allocated to each of the London authorities in 2010-11 is listed in the following table.
	
		
			  LA number  LA name  Ethnic minority achievement grant (EMAG) (£) 
			 201 Corporation of London 104,811 
			 202 Camden 3,209,273 
			 203 Greenwich 3,308,292 
			 204 Hackney 4,535,653 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,152,422 
			 206 Islington 3,326,339 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 1,427,733 
			 208 Lambeth 5,032,056 
			 209 Lewisham 3,848,175 
			 210 Southwark 4,546,229 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 9,231,472 
			 212 Wandsworth 3,042,619 
			 213 Westminster 2,520,946 
			 301 Barking 2,088,207 
			 302 Barnet 3,015,756 
			 303 Bexley 673,665 
			 304 Brent 5,170,069 
			 305 Bromley 729,236 
			 306 Croydon 3,186,163 
			 307 Ealing 4,620,846 
			 308 Enfield 4,215,183 
			 309 Haringey 4,992,775 
			 310 Harrow 2,340,629 
			 311 Havering 382,650 
			 312 Hillingdon 1,895,859 
			 313 Hounslow 3,086,475 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 467,386 
			 315 Merton 1,001,883 
			 316 Newham 8,450,264 
			 317 Redbridge 3,665,102 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 408,639 
			 319 Sutton 557,577 
			 320 Waltham Forest 3,734,278

Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the  (a) ethnic minority achievement grant and  (b) list of eligible groups in receipt of that grant; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: For 2011-12, funding to raise the attainment of underperforming minority ethnic pupils and support those with English as an additional language, will be included in the main schools budget, as part of the Government's aim to reduce the number of funding streams going to schools. It will be for local authorities, in consultation with their School Forum, to decide how to take account of the previous levels of ethnic minority achievement grant when making local decisions on the level of 2011-12 allocations to schools.
	Ethnic minority achievement grant allocations take account of the number of: Black Caribbean; White and Black Caribbean; Black African and White and Black African; Black Other; Pakistani; Gypsy/Roma and Traveller; White Other pupils; and those with English as an additional language attending an individual authority's schools.

Financial Services: Education

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will assess the merits of providing financial capability education for pupils  (a) at Key Stage (i) three and (ii) four and  (b) as part of the curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education.

Nick Gibb: It is important that young people have a planned and coherent programme of personal finance education so that they leave school with the skills and confidence to manage their money effectively.
	The current economic wellbeing and financial capability strand of personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) provides a framework upon which teachers can draw.
	The coalition Government recently announced in the Schools White Paper 2010, The Importance of Teaching, that all children and young people should benefit from high quality PSHE education. The Department will be holding an internal review of the subject and details will be announced in the new year.

Financial Services: Education

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make an estimate of the potential savings to the public purse arising from the provision of financial capability education to children.

Nick Gibb: The economic wellbeing and financial capability strand of personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) was introduced in secondary schools in September 2008. Pupils should learn to:
	manage their money;
	understand financial risk and reward;
	explain financial terms and products;
	identify how finance will play an important part in their lives and in achieving their aspirations.
	There are a range of complex factors that might affect savings to the public purse, and it would be difficult to isolate the impact of the introduction of the financial capability strand of PSHE on savings to public expenditure.

Financial Services: Education

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he last met officials in his Department to discuss the provision of financial education in schools; and if he will make it his policy to meet the relevant officials monthly to ensure that progress is made in teaching financial capability.

Nick Gibb: Ministers meet with officials to discuss personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, which includes financial capability, as and when necessary.
	However, as set out in our recent White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, it is the responsibility of teachers, rather than central Government, to decide how best to teach financial capability in schools.

Free School Meals: Greater London

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were  (a) eligible for and  (b) received free school meals in (i) West Ham constituency, (ii) the London borough of Newham and (iii) London in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible and claiming free school meals is shown in the table. This includes full-time pupils aged 0 to 15 and part-time pupils aged 5 to 15.
	Information is not available on those pupils who meet the eligibility criteria but do not make a claim.
	
		
			  Maintained nursery, maintained primary( 1) , state-funded secondary( 1, 2)  and special( 3)  schools: school meal arrangements( 4, 5) , as at January 2010, in West Ham parliamentary constituency, Newham local authority and London 
			   West Ham parliamentary constituency  Newham local authority( 6)  London 
			   Number on roll( 4,5)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals( 4, 5)  Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals  Number on roll( 4 5)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals( 4, 5)  Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals  Number on roll( 4 5)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school  meal( s4, 5)  Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			 Maintained Nursery and Maintained Primary(1) 14,450 4,770 33.0 28,140 8,770 31.2 594,490 156,260 26.3 
			 State-Funded Secondary(1, 2) 10,360 4,330 41.8 17,630 7,690 43.6 379,710 95,920 25.3 
			 Special Schools(3) 40 (7)- (7)- 40 (7)- (7)- 10,440 4,460 42.7 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (3) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4 )Includes sole and dual (main) registrations. (5 )Includes pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between 5 and 15. (6) This local authority is participating in a pilot offering FSMs to all primary school children. The figures in this table may not reliably reflect the pupils who would be eligible for and claiming free school meals under the national criteria. (7 )Fewer than 5 or a percentage based on a number fewer than 5.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  School Census.

Free School Meals: Richmond upon Thames

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the level of take-up of free school meals in Richmond Park constituency.

Sarah Teather: Information on free school meal eligibility is shown in the table. This includes full-time pupils aged 0 to 15 and part-time pupils aged five to 15.
	Information on the take-up of free school meals has not been provided because it is collected at school level rather than pupil level and it is therefore not possible to exclude pupils who are below or over compulsory school age, far fewer of whom claim for and take free school meals.
	
		
			  Maintained nursery, primary( 1)  and state-funded secondary( 1, 2 ) schools: School meal arrangements( 3) , Richmond Park constituency, January 2010 
			   Number on roll( 4)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 Maintained nursery and primary(1) 8,440 710 8.4 
			 State-funded secondary(1, 2) 3,670 580 15.9 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies.  (3) Pupils eligible for free school meals who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between five and 15.  (4) Includes pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between five and 15.   Note:  Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  School Census.

Free Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people are employed in his Department's Free School Group.

Nick Gibb: As at 7 December 2010, there are 67.61 FTE (full-time equivalent) people employed in the Free Schools Group.

Free Schools: Academies

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to answer question 25708 on guidance for schools wishing to convert to academy or free school status that are subject to a private finance initiative contract, tabled on 17 November 2010 for named day answer on 19 November 2010.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 6 December 2010
	A response was issued on 7 December 2010,  Official Report, column 256W.

Geography: Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils in each local authority were taught geography at  (a) GCSE and  (b) A level in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Nick Gibb: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Information on the qualifications being taught is not collected from schools for pupils under the age of 16, so it is not possible to provide the number and proportion of pupils being taught geography at GCSE level.
	 (b) We do not currently hold robust data at local authority level on pupils taught specific subjects at A level.

Gifted Children

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what programmes his Department has in place to support gifted and talented children; and what funding has been allocated to each of these programmes in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The Dedicated Support Grant (DSG) to schools supports a universal offer of personalised education to all pupils, including gifted and talented (G&T) pupils. In addition, during the current financial year 2010-11, the Department's anticipated expenditure on support specifically for gifted and talented pupils is £8.952 million. This breaks down as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 G&T strand of the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People, managed by Youth Sport Trust 2.300 
			 Regional Partnerships, to facilitate collaboration between schools, local authorities and higher education institutions (HEIs) to share good practice and deliver out-of-school enrichment opportunities (e.g. summer schools) 1.680 
			 National Association for Gifted Children, to provide support and guidance for the parents of G&T pupils 0.170 
			 G&T network of high performing specialist schools with good G&T practices, providing support to other schools, managed by specialist schools and academies trust 0.210 
			 Teach First advocates providing mentoring to over 250 disadvantaged learners in City Challenge areas 0.412 
			 Funding to local authorities for gifted pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in receipt of free school meals (including City GATES funding and Targeted Support) 4.000 
			 Six other minor contracts, totalling 0.180

Grammar Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the future provision of grammar schools; and what plans he has for the future number of grammar schools.

Nick Gibb: Parents choose grammar schools because of their record of excellence and the opportunity they provide for children of all backgrounds. There are now 160 designated grammar schools, as four have converted to academy status. The Government do not intend to increase the number of designated grammar schools.

International Baccalaureate

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the International Baccalaureate (IB); and whether he plans to encourage new academies to offer the IB curriculum.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 7 December 2010
	The Government recognise the quality and rigour of the International Baccalaureate (IB). It is for schools to decide to offer the IB where they consider it right for their pupils.
	Academies have additional freedoms to offer an engaging curriculum which meets the particular needs of their pupils. We are very supportive of those academies that choose to offer the IB curriculum.

Languages: Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what budget he has allocated for the British Council's Language Teaching Assistance Scheme for each of the next four years.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 13 December 2010
	The Department has allocated around £700,000 a year in each of the next four years to the Language Assistants programme. The exact amount will be discussed and agreed with the delivery organisation prior to the start of each financial year, as is usual practice.

Ministerial Duties

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have met representatives of the  (a) Church of England,  (b) Church of England's Education Division,  (c) National Society,  (d) Catholic Church in England and Wales,  (e) Catholic Education Service,  (f) Catholic Diocesan Schools Commission,  (g) Catholic Association of Teachers Schools and Colleges,  (h) Methodist Church,  (i) Methodist Education,  (j) Muslim Council of Britain,  (k) Board of Deputies of British Jews,  (l) Agency for Jewish Education,  (m) Accord Coalition,  (n) British Humanist Association and  (o) National Secular Society at venues other than his Department since his appointment.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 22 November 2010
	The following table gives details of the number of occasions Ministers at the Department for Education have met with representatives of the above organisations at venues other than the Department since the Secretary of State's appointment in May 2010.
	
		
			  Organisation  Total number of meetings 
			 Church of England, Church of England's Education Division, The National Society 1 
			 Catholic Church in England and Wales, Catholic Education Service for England and Wales 8 
			 Catholic Diocesan Schools Commission 0 
			 Catholic Association of Teachers Schools and Colleges 0 
			 Methodist Church, Methodist Education 0 
			 Muslim Council of Britain 0 
			 Board of Deputies of British Jews 3 
			 Agency for Jewish Education 0 
			 Accord Coalition 0 
			 British Humanist Association 0 
			 National Secular Society 0

Ofsted

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the findings of the Annual Report of HM Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills for 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 December 2010
	The report presents a mixed picture in terms of educational performance in England. It demonstrates that across the country there are many front line professionals making a real contribution to improving standards, and notes the positive impact of academies, many of which have replaced failing schools. The report also highlights the need for high quality teaching in all schools. That is why our Schools White Paper, published last week, places teaching at the centre of the Government's plans for reform.

Pre-school Education

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to increase the take-up of free early education places by  (a) couples and  (b) lone parents who are not in employment; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 22 November 2010
	Take up of free early education places remains high nationally, with 95% of three and four-year-olds accessing at least some of their free early education. However, significant gaps in take up remain between children from the most disadvantaged families and their peers. To improve life chances for these families, children's centres will refocus on supporting families in the greatest need. We know that children's centre outreach workers play an important part in reaching families in greatest need. We are considering what role outreach can continue to play, alongside health visitors, social workers and other early years professionals to promote children's centre services (including free early education places for two, three and four-year-olds), to those families least likely to take up these services.

Pre-school Education: Codes of Practice

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what representations he has received from nursery providers on the effects of recent changes to the Code of Practice on Free Nursery Education;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of recent changes to the Code of Practice on Free Nursery Education on the number of free nursery places available.

Sarah Teather: Primary legislation-s7 of the Childcare Act 2006-requires local authorities to secure nursery education free of charge for every three and four-year-old, whether or not there is statutory guidance in place. The legislative position is reiterated in new guidance, the code of practice, which came into force in September alongside new regulations which extend, to 15 hours per week, the amount of free nursery education to which each child is entitled. The code of practice, supports local authorities to deliver free nursery education and provides guidance on flexibility, quality, funding and working in partnership with providers. The extension and new code of practice was introduced following extensive consultation with providers and their representatives following trials in 34 pathfinder authorities.
	The Department has received correspondence relating to free nursery education from providers in the maintained, private, voluntary and independent sectors, and from parents and local authorities. The Department is listening to the views of the early years sector on the recent extension to 15 hours per week and the additional flexibilities the code of practice introduced.
	The most recent data held specifically about the take-up of free nursery education places is from "Provision for Children Under Five Years of Age in England: January 2010". This showed that 22,000 more three-year-olds and 5,500 more four-year-olds were taking up nursery education, compared with 2009. 92% of three-year-olds and 98% of four-year-olds access some free nursery education. The Department publishes information on the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds in maintained, private, voluntary and independent provider sectors. Information on the number of available free pre schools is not centrally available.

Primary Education: Manpower

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of teaching staff in primary schools who are  (a) male and  (b) female; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: In March 2009, the most recent information available, 15% of full-time regular teachers in service in local authority maintained nursery and primary schools were male and 85% were female. These figures exclude academies and are provisional. Further information is available at the following web link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000927/sfr11-2010tis.xls

Schools: Admissions

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that parents with more than one child who fulfil all relevant admissions criteria are able to send their children to the same school.

Nick Gibb: The School Admissions Code allows admission authorities to give priority to siblings when schools are oversubscribed. It is for authorities to decide, in consultation with their local communities, which oversubscription criteria are most appropriate for the needs of families in their area.

Schools: Brighton

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he had on school sport with  (a) partnership development managers,  (b) school sport co-ordinators,  (c) competition managers and  (d) primary link teachers (i) nationally and (ii) in Brighton Pavilion constituency.

Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State has met many stakeholders including partnership development managers, school sport co-ordinators, competition managers and primary link teachers, at events arranged by the Department and those that are organised by partners. Recent discussions with stakeholders have covered a variety of educational topics including policy on school sport. The Secretary of State has not attended any such meetings in the Brighton Pavilion constituency.

Schools: Finance

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many ring-fenced budgets relating to schools expenditure in 2010-11 will continue to be ring-fenced by his Department for 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: We are simplifying the funding for schools next year. From April 2011 there will be just two ring-fenced revenue grants funding streams for schools: the Dedicated Schools Grant and the Pupil Premium Grant.
	As announced in the spending review, the Dedicated Schools Grant 2011-12 will incorporate the following 2010-11 revenue grants for schools which were paid as separate grants in 2010-11:
	Funds allocated for one to one tuition
	Funds allocated for 'every child programmes' such as Every Child a Reader
	Extended Schools
	School Lunch Grant
	School Standards Grant
	School Development Grant
	Specialist Schools Grant
	Ethnic Minority Achievement grant
	The National Strategies' Budgets that were allocated to schools.
	The Pupil Premium is a new grant to be introduced in 2011-12, which will provide additional funding for the most disadvantaged pupils, worth £2.5 billion by 2014-15.

Schools: Governing Bodies

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the nomination by political groupings of candidates for school governor posts.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities have statutory powers to appoint governors to the governing body of most maintained schools. They are free to decide how their representatives are chosen. The Statutory Guidance on the Constitution of School Governing Bodies encourages local authorities to appoint governors irrespective of any political affiliation or preferences, emphasising the appointment of people with the right skills to strengthen the leadership of local schools.

Schools: ICT

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made for benchmarking purposes of online learning practice in other countries; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Government have not carried out any recent studies explicitly to benchmark school's online educational practice internationally but the Department does monitor and is aware of the research available in this area. The latest OECD 'Education at a Glance' publication shows that the UK fares favourably on per student expenditure compared to other OECD countries. For example we are aware of computer to pupil ratios of 1:3 at secondary, 1:7 at primary, and 1:3 at special schools in England. These figures stand up well to international comparisons and suggest healthy levels of online education which many reports suggest work best when combined with effective interpersonal teaching.

Schools: Learning Disability

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to increase the range of learning difficulties and disabilities covered by courses provided in teacher training colleges.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 6 December 2010
	Government want to continue to improve the quality of teachers and teaching, and to raise the status of the teaching profession.
	We are supporting teacher training institutions to develop the skills and knowledge of those entering the profession with regard to special educational needs and disabilities through a special educational needs component within initial teacher training so that teachers new to the profession are able to adapt their approach to teaching pupils with particular special needs and disabilities.
	We are also supporting specialist training in dyslexia and sensory impairment and for special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCos). This training is designed to equip individual teachers with the skills and knowledge to teach pupils with special educational needs, and to prepare SENCos for a strategic role supporting the development of teaching expertise, in these areas, within their school.
	I am reviewing existing policies and programmes to make sure that they support our commitment, set out in the schools white paper, to high quality teacher training.

Schools: Music

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to encourage the teaching of music in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The coalition Government believe that every child should receive a sound music education including having opportunities to learn to play a musical instrument and to sing. Music is a compulsory subject within the national curriculum from key stages 1 to 3 so every school should already be teaching music, but we are aware from Ofsted reports that standards are not consistent. On 24 September the Secretary of State announced that he had asked Mr Darren Henley, the managing director of Classic FM, to carry out a review of music education and to make recommendations on how we can make sure music funding benefits more young people and improves the music opportunities young people receive both in and out of school. We will make decisions on any action that might be needed in the light of the findings of Mr Henley's review which is due to conclude at the end of this year:

Schools: PFI

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education who will be responsible for the payment of annual charges relating to a private finance initiative contract in schools which convert to academy or free school status.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 22 November 2010
	The local authority remains responsible for the payment of the charges relating to a PFI contract, since the local authority is the party that signed the contract. However, the academy trust will be responsible for paying a contribution to the local authority.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the financial savings to schools from a five basis point reduction in private finance initiative payments.

Nick Gibb: No savings from a five basis point reduction in the interest rate charged to school PFI projects would accrue to schools. Depending on how the savings arose, the benefit could go to or be shared by the swap counterparty, the private sector contractor and/or the local authority.
	However, if these savings could be realised, it is estimated that a five basis point reduction in the interest payments of all BSF PFI projects signed to date would produce a saving of around £1 million per year. It is not possible to estimate accurately the savings that would result on pre-BSF PFI projects as a substantial part of the original debt will by now have been repaid, and some of these projects have been re-financed, thus changing the amount of debt in the project.

Schools: Sports

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding for school sports partnerships was allocated to each local authority area in 2009-10.

Tim Loughton: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authority  £ 
			 Barking and Dagenham (LB) 694,100 
			 Barnet (LB) 912,169 
			 Barnsley 574,689 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 528,225 
			 Bedfordshire 1,746,634 
			 Bexley (LB) 589,537 
			 Birmingham 2,809,595 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 462,789 
			 Blackpool 285,118 
			 Bolton 628,826 
			 Bournemouth 317,044 
			 Bracknell Forest 232,463 
			 Bradford 1,250,958 
			 Brent (LB) 568,319 
			 Brighton and Hove 579,787 
			 Bristol City 811,973 
			 Bromley (LB) 670,248 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,451,760 
			 Bury 545,454 
			 Calderdale 584,940 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,379,693 
			 Camden (LB) 372,613 
			 Cheshire 1,875,904 
			 Cornwall 1,429,174 
			 Coventry 687,003 
			 Croydon (LB) 845,922 
			 Cumbria 1,780,231 
			 Darlington 266,394 
			 Derby 553,925 
			 Derbyshire 2,094,412 
			 Devon 1,801,628 
			 Doncaster 687,179 
			 Dorset 1,247,470 
			 Dudley 831,666 
			 Durham 1,681,329 
			 Ealing (LB) 514,943 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 772,893 
			 East Sussex 1,080,311 
			 Enfield (LB) 690,726 
			 Essex 3,149,125 
			 Gateshead 507,795 
			 Gloucestershire 1,834,688 
			 Greenwich (LB) 540,755 
			 Hackney(LB) 482,816 
			 Halton 318,363 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham (LB) 342,793 
			 Hampshire 3,315,882 
			 Haringey (LB) 519,328 
			 Harrow (LB) 400,682 
			 Hartlepool 283,035 
			 Havering (LB) 622,357 
			 Herefordshire 559,399 
			 Hertfordshire 3,397,515 
			 Hillingdon (LB) 931,041 
			 Hounslow (LB) 561,242 
			 Isle of Wight 488,506 
			 Islington (LB) 389,262 
			 Kensington and Chelsea (LB) 253,617 
			 Kent 3,857,787 
			 Kingston upon Hull 610,027 
			 Kingston upon Thames (LB) 341,429 
			 Kirklees 1,267,039 
			 Knowsley 397,574 
			 Lambeth (LB) 503,936 
			 Lancashire 3,689,698 
			 Leeds 1,674,292 
			 Leicester 700,864 
			 Leicestershire 1,972,649 
			 Lewisham (LB) 588,098 
			 Lincolnshire 2,371,720 
			 Liverpool 1,198,457 
			 Luton 443,705 
			 Manchester 1,023,716 
			 Medway 681,155 
			 Merton (LB) 550,797 
			 Middlesbrough 394,142 
			 Milton Keynes 588,412 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 633,538 
			 Newham (LB) 599,652 
			 Norfolk 2,205,456 
			 North East Lincolnshire 464,666 
			 North Lincolnshire 544,776 
			 North Somerset 395,248 
			 North Tyneside 549,414 
			 North Yorkshire 2,171,900 
			 Northamptonshire 1,685,464 
			 Northumberland 1,919,248 
			 Nottingham 630,166 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,909,746 
			 Oldham 630,681 
			 Oxfordshire 1,496,364 
			 Peterborough 442,071 
			 Plymouth 601,776 
			 Poole 357,446 
			 Portsmouth 374,080 
			 Reading 251,056 
			 Redbridge (LB) 598,062 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 479,083 
			 Richmond upon Thames (LB) 315,508 
			 Rochdale 562,827 
			 Rotherham 675,324 
			 Rutland 158,938 
			 Salford 686,598 
			 Sandwell 707,458 
			 Sefton 757,095 
			 Sheffield 1,136,894 
			 Shropshire 1,062,038 
			 Slough 364,409 
			 Solihull 523,192 
			 Somerset 1,556,486 
			 South Gloucestershire 641,747 
			 South Tyneside 428,068 
			 Southampton 488,513 
			 Southend-on-Sea 478,641 
			 Southwark(LB) 661,745 
			 St Helens 433,054 
			 Staffordshire 2,733,191 
			 Stockport 653,135 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 564,744 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 609,730 
			 Suffolk 2,729,092 
			 Sunderland 695,707 
			 Surrey 2,083,647 
			 Sutton (LB) 481,025 
			 Swindon 477,398 
			 Tameside 686,459 
			 Telford and Wrekin 540,102 
			 Thurrock 394,649 
			 Torbay 274,871 
			 Tower Hamlets (LB) 596,518 
			 Trafford 597,493 
			 Wakefield 770,605 
			 Walsall 738,800 
			 Waltham Forest (LB) 672,002 
			 Wandsworth (LB) 640,812 
			 Warrington 535,916 
			 Warwickshire 1,553,645 
			 West Berkshire 465,501 
			 West Sussex 1,614,336 
			 Westminster (LB) 392,721 
			 Wigan 754,227 
			 Wiltshire 1,272,570 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 454,423 
			 Wirral 924,142 
			 Wokingham 312,970 
			 Wolverhampton 757,282 
			 Worcestershire 1,937,226 
			 York City 483,337 
			 Grand total 137,568,446 
			  Note: Funding is allocated to School Sports Partnerships. Schools in the City of London and Isles of Scilly local authorities are members of School Sports Partnerships in neighbouring local authorities.

Schools: Sports

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools in Lancashire have received school sports grants; how much was paid to each school; and how much was spent in each parliamentary constituency.

Tim Loughton: The information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Partnership Name/Hub School  Constituency  Amount paid in 2009/10 (£) 
			 Corpus Christi/Corpus Christi Catholic Sports College Preston 473,869 
			 Brownedge St Mary's/Brownedge  St Mary's High School and Sports College Preston 226,487 
			 Fearns/Fearns Community Sports College Rossendale & Darwen 235,192 
			 Heysham/Heysham High School Sports College Morecambe & Lunesdale 195,019 
			 Our Lady's/Our Lady's Catholic College Lancashire Morecambe & Lunesdale 234,305 
			 Worden/Worden Sports College South Ribble 319,660 
			 Fleetwood/Fleetwood Sports College. Blackpool North & Fleetwood 465,922 
			 Glenburn/Glenburn Sports College West Lancashire 338,972 
			 Holy Cross/Holy Cross Catholic High School Chorley 270,664 
			 Norden/Norden High School & Sports College Hyndbum 397,555 
			 Blessed Trinity/Blessed Trinity RC College Burnley 233,409 
			 Pendle Vale/Pendle Vale Sports College Pendle 298,644 
			 Total  3,689,698 
			  Note:  Grant is paid to the hub school in each partnership which allocates funding to each school in the partnership.

Schools: Standards

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent research he has evaluated on the transfer of responsibility for teaching standards from government to schools.

Tim Loughton: The White Paper, 'The Importance of Teaching', draws on evidence from the world's best education systems when it sets out the reform programme for the schools system, with schools freed from the constraints of central Government direction and teachers placed firmly at the heart of school improvement. The 'Case for Change' is an evidence-based publication that supports the case for change to our schools system; this has been placed in the House Libraries and may be accessed here:
	http://publications.education.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/DFE-00564-2010.pdf
	The over-arching economic impact assessment of the schools White Paper has been placed in the House Libraries and may also be found on this site:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/b0068570/the-importance-of-teaching/
	School autonomy is increasing at an international level (OECD, 2010) and findings regarding the relationship between school autonomy and raising standards are generally positive. High performing systems use four main approaches to help teachers to teach effectively: building practical skills during initial training; placing coaches in schools to support teachers; selecting and developing effective instructional leaders; and enabling teachers to learn from one another (Barber and Mourshed, 2007).

Schools: Surveillance

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether he has had recent discussions on the installation of  (a) CCTV,  (b) listening devices and  (c) other surveillance equipment in schools; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families has had discussions on the installation of  (a) CCTV equipment,  (b) listening devices and  (c) other surveillance equipment in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answers 3 and 14 December 2010
	Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education nor I have had meetings, discussions or correspondence about the installation of CCTV, listening devices or other surveillance equipment in schools.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to consult head teachers on the operation of careers guidance services in their schools in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 6 December 2010
	We intend to restore a focus on specialist expertise in careers guidance for young people and adults based on the core principles of independence and professionalism, and will establish an all-age careers service by April 2012. Alongside this schools will be responsible for securing appropriate access to impartial, independent careers guidance for their pupils.
	We recognise the importance of consulting with schools to inform both the design and development of the new service and the transitional arrangements required to ensure smooth progress towards April 2012. We will do this in a range of ways, both informally and formally, including through the establishment of a formal advisory group.

Science: Education

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to ensure a high standard of science education, including practical science, in free schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 23 November 2010
	Academies and free schools are required to teach science as part of a broad and balanced curriculum, but are not required to follow the national curriculum. This freedom allows teachers and schools to develop a creative and innovative teaching environment and to exercise their professional judgment on how to give all their pupils the best possible opportunities to learn about science, including the most able and those needing additional support.
	Like maintained schools and other academies, free schools will be inspected by Ofsted. There will be clear expectations around the outcomes they are expected to achieve, including in science, and they will be held accountable against those expectations.

Social Work College

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of establishing the Social Work College.

Tim Loughton: In 2009 the Social Work Task Force recommended the establishment of a College of Social Work to articulate and promote the interests of good social work. It will give the profession itself strong, independent leadership; a clear voice in public debate, policy development and policy delivery; and strong ownership of professional social work standards.
	The Government fully support the establishment of the College of Social Work. In order to provide independent professional leadership and voice for social work, once fully operational, the College will need to be fully funded by its members. However the Government have committed to providing £5 million for the establishment of the College to put it on a sound footing for the future.

Special Educational Needs: Teachers

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what  (a) representations he has received and  (b) discussions he has had on the requirement for qualified teacher status and accredited training for special educational needs co-ordinators.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 7 December 2010
	The Government want to continue to improve the quality of all teachers and teaching, and to raise the status of the teaching profession. The regulations requiring SENCos to be qualified as teachers and, if new to the role, to undertake nationally approved training were introduced following a recommendation by the cross-party Education Select Committee in 2006. The Committee heard evidence from parents and professionals who were concerned about variations in teaching skills among those working with SEN pupils in mainstream schools.
	The Special Educational Needs and Disability Green Paper will be published shortly. The Green Paper will look at a range of issues with input from parents and professionals. The work force element of the SEN Green Paper will draw on this input and will build on the reforms set out in the Importance of Teaching White Paper. More recently, my colleague, the Minister of State for Children and Families (Sarah Teather), has recently met a group of SENCos as part of her consideration of the issues which the Green Paper will address. A Call for Views to inform the Green Paper also received 95 responses from SENCos.

Teachers

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of shortages of qualified teachers in each region.

Tim Loughton: The numbers of qualified and unqualified(1) teachers, by region, are published in table 3 of the School Workforce statistical first release (SFR). Tables 7 and 9 of the SFR provide further information on the vacancy rates, for full-time and part-time teachers separately, in local authority maintained schools by region. The most recent publication, containing this information for January 2010, can be accessed via the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000927/index.shtml
	Table 1 provides the proportion of the total regular teachers in each region who are qualified. The north-west of England has the highest proportion of qualified teachers, the north-west and Yorkshire also have high proportions for the nursery and primary and special, PRU and other non-school education sectors respectively.
	London has the lowest proportion of qualified teachers, the east of England also has a lower proportion of qualified teachers working in the secondary sector.
	(1) Unqualified teachers include instructors, overseas trained teachers without Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and to QTS.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of qualified teachers in local authority maintained schools by Government office region, January 2010, coverage: England 
			  Percentage 
			   Government office regions  
			   North-east  North-west  Yorkshire and the Humber  East midlands  West midlands  East of  England  London  South-east  South-west  England 
			  Nursery and primary   
			 Headcount(2) 98.9 99.0 98.3 98.2 98.6 97.5 95.3 98.5 98.7 98.0 
			 Regular full-time equivalent(3) 99.1 99.1 98.3 98.4 98.6 97.8 95.4 98.6 98.9 98.1 
			
			  Secondary   
			 Headcount(2) 97.0 97.7 95.2 95.2 94.9 93.7 93.7 95.2 97.1 95.4 
			 Regular full-time equivalent(3) 97.4 97.9 95.5 95.4 95.2 94.1 94.1 95.4 97.4 95.7 
			
			  Special, PRU and other non-school education   
			 Headcount(2) 90.9 96.5 97.2 92.1 91.2 92.1 89.4 92.5 92.0 92.7 
			 Regular full-time equivalent(3) 97.5 98.3 96.8 96.4 96.4 95.4 94.3 96.6 97.6 96.5 
			
			  All sectors   
			 Headcount(2) 97.5 98.3 96.8 96.4 96.4 95.4 94.3 96.6 97.6 96.5 
			 Regular full-time equivalent(3) 98.1 98.4 96.9 96.6 96.5 95.7 94.6 96.7 97.9 96.7 
			 (1) The 2010 headline figures utilise 83 local authority School Workforce Census returns and 69 local authority 618g returns. The definitions used in the SWF are as close as possible to the 618g survey it replaces and validation checks indicate that the two sources are comparible.  (2) Proportion of the full and part-time head count of regular teachers who are qualified.  (3) Proportion of the sum of the full-time headcount of regular teachers and FTE of part-time regular teachers who are qualified.   Source:  618g survey and School Workforce Census.

Teachers: Males

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to use the expansion of Teach First to primary school level to increase the number of male teachers.

Nick Gibb: The Government are currently considering a wide range of issues around the future of teacher training and, in particular, what steps it should take to ensure that we have an adequate supply of high quality teachers, and how the best people can be attracted into the profession. The number of men teaching in primary schools, via Teach First or more traditional routes, is one of these issues.

Teachers: Training

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much he plans to allocate to fund teacher training in training schools in each of the next four financial years.

Nick Gibb: In the White Paper 'The Importance of Teaching' we announced our intention to bring together the training school and national teaching school models to create a new national network of teaching schools from September 2011. We will make an announcement about funding arrangements for the new teaching schools shortly.
	In the meantime, any schools wishing to express an interest in applying for the new designation should register their interest with National College at:
	teachingschoolsenquiries@nationalcollege.org.uk

Vocational Education

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the inclusion of  (a) independence,  (b) economic well-being and  (c) emotional intelligence skills training in vocational qualifications.

Nick Gibb: Professor Alison Wolf has been asked to carry out an independent review of vocational education. She will consider the organisation, funding, and target audience for vocational education, and the principles that should underpin the content, structure and teaching methods. She will report in spring 2011, and her findings will inform future developments to improve the standard of vocational education for 14 to 19-year-olds.

Vocational Guidance: Local Government Finance

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much each local authority spent on careers and Connexions services in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and what information his Department holds on planned expenditure by each local authority on those services in 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 6 December 2010
	We do not collect information on how much local authorities spend or plan to spend on careers and Connexions services. Connexions funding has been paid to local authorities as part of the Area Based Grant (ABG) and they have been free to use the un-ringfenced ABG as they see fit to support the delivery of local, regional and national priorities in their areas.

Vocational Guidance: Standards

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms will be in place to ensure that common professional standards for careers and Connexions services in each local authority will be maintained in  (a) 2011 and  (b) subsequent years of the spending review period.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 6 December 2010
	The Government have accepted in principle the recommendations of the Careers Profession Task Force, published in its report "Towards A Stronger Careers Profession" (October 2010). Those recommendations include the establishment of professional standards for all careers professionals, quality standards for careers guidance services, and a kite mark to underpin the various quality awards for schools and colleges. We will be working with the Careers Profession Alliance, and other sector bodies, on a programme of work to implement these recommendations as we move to establish an all-age careers service.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to reply to question 22779, on the proposed pupil premium, tabled on 6 November 2010 for ordinary written answer.

Nick Gibb: A response was issued on 8 December 2010,  Official Report, column 353W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to provide a substantive answer to question 29328, on ministerial guidance to officials, tabled on 2 December 2010 for answer on 7 December 2010.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 20 December 2010
	A reply to PQ29328 was issued on 14 December 2010,  Official Report, column 734W.

Young People: Social Services

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of mapping systems in planning the provision of services for young people;
	(2)  what mapping systems have been developed by his Department for use in respect of the provision of services to young people.

Nick Gibb: The Department makes use of and has developed geographic information systems to provide a range of information to both internal and external customers.
	These capabilities support a number of business areas including school travel, parental choice, Free Schools, the Academies Expansion Programme and school destinations of pupils in London. These tools are aimed at helping to inform a range of users including parents, schools, local authorities, as well as the Department for Education, in their decision-making.
	Externally the Department provides a number of publicly available services. The EduBase website includes mapping tools which allow parents to select and view schools in their local area. The In Your Area and the School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables websites use maps and geographical search facilities to allow users to navigate to a range of local statistics and school performance data. The Department also uses thematic maps to present information in a number of statistical releases.

Young People: Unemployment

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many young people in Bristol East constituency were not in education, employment or training on the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of young people  (a) in Bristol East constituency,  (b) in Bristol,  (c) in the South West and  (d) nationally were not in education, employment or training in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: Official estimates of the number and proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England are published by the Department in a Statistical First Release (SFR) each June and can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000938/index.shtml
	The latest provisional data show that 9.2% of 16 to 18-year-olds were NEET at the end of 2009.
	These estimates cannot be broken down below national level. However, Connexions Services collect information on the number and proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET in each local authority area, which are published annually of the DFE website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/16to19/participation/neet/a0064101/strategies-for-16-to-18-year-olds-not-in-education-employment-or-training-neet
	Figures from the Connexions data for Bristol and the south-west for the end of 2009 are shown in the following table. An England average from the Connexions data is also shown for comparison. This is different from the official SFR measure above because it relates the young person's actual age, rather than their academic age, and uses a number of different definitions. Connexions data cannot be broken down by parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			   16 to 18-year-olds NEET 
			   Number  Proportion (percentage) 
			 Bristol 900 7.7 
			 South-west 8,820 5.6 
			 England 104,080 5.8

Youth Sport Trust

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families has met Baroness Campbell of Loughborough to discuss the work of the Youth Sport Trust since his appointment.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 6 December 2010
	Since May 2010, I have met Baroness Campbell on various occasions either at events, on visits, or during the course of developing the Government's proposals on PE and sport which has included a discussion about the Youth Sport Trust and the school Olympics. Our key proposals were set out in the Secretary of State's letter of 20 October to Baroness Campbell.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Work Clubs

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work clubs have been established since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: We estimate that over 350 work clubs have been established and are supporting local communities across the UK.

Pensioners: Effects of Inflation

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent research his Department has undertaken on the effects of inflation on pensioners.

Steve Webb: The Department has considered inflation indices, looking at the basket of goods and methodology of each.
	We believe that the CPI is the most appropriate index to use to measure changes in the general level of prices. It is the headline measure of inflation and excludes mortgage interest payments, which are not relevant to most pensioners.

Long-term Benefit Recipients

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made on his proposals to assist long-term benefit recipients into employment.

Iain Duncan Smith: The Government aim to have the new Work programme in place nationally by summer 2011. This will help people with a wide variety of needs into sustained employment, including longer term jobseeker's allowance customers, harder to help jobseeker's allowance customers, and employment and support allowance customers.
	The Invitation to Tender for Work programme was issued to successful framework providers on 22 December 2010. Work programme tenders are to be returned by 14 February 2011.

Housing Benefit

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evidence he used to determine that planned changes to housing benefit for those out of work for over 12 months will increase employment levels.

Steve Webb: We did not make any specific assumptions about the impact on employment levels of this measure. Research shows that the reasons for long term unemployment are complex. However we believe reducing housing benefit after 12 months will provide an additional financial incentive for jobseekers to take up work.

Housing Benefit

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of local housing allowance recipients between the ages of 25 and 35 in receipt of each passported benefit.

Steve Webb: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Breakdown of local housing allowance recipients by age and receipt of passporting benefit, August 2010. 
			  Receipt of passporting benefit  Aged 25 to 35 
			 Income support 112,580 
			 Pension credit guarantee credit 30 
			 Jobseeker's allowance (income based) 74,070 
			 Employment and support allowance (income related) 16,180 
			 Not in receipt of a passporting benefit 162,660 
			 Total local housing allowance recipients 366,230 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are based on the single housing benefit extract (SHBE), are rounded to the nearest 10 recipients, and are as at the second Thursday of August 2010.  2. The data refers to benefit units which may be a single person or a couple.  3. The age breakdown is based on the age of the main benefit claimant; this explains the reason why there are some benefit units in receipt of pension credit.  4. Local housing allowance tenants (LHA) may include a small number of non-LHA cases making a new claim since 7 April 2008. This will include recipients in caravan accommodation.  5. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and August 2010 is the most recent available.  6. The information does not include recipients whose passported status, tenure or age is not recorded.

Housing Benefit

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the change in the housing benefit bill attributable to the introduction of his proposed affordable rent model.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 November 2010,  Official Report, column 931W, to the right hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Mr Alexander).

Housing Benefit

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of claimants of local housing allowance who will make an additional payment to cover the difference between benefits received and rent paid following the implementation of his proposals to reform housing benefit; and what estimate he has made of the average amount of such weekly additional payments in each local authority by bedroom size.

Steve Webb: The Department published an analytical supplement as part of the Work and Pensions Select Committee inquiring into the impact of the changes to housing benefit announced in the June 2010 Budget. This supplement includes, on page 23, information on the ability of claimants to pay rent after the local housing allowance reforms.
	This document can be accessed from:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wpsc-analytical-supp.pdf
	Information on the average amount of weekly additional payments is not available.

Annuities

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to increase take-up of the open market option when purchasing an annuity.

Mark Hoban: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 December 2010,  Official Report, column 836W.

Child Support

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what work the audit committee of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has undertaken on the quality of decision making in child support since the Commission's inception.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what work the audit committee of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has undertaken on the quality of decision making in child support since the Commission's inception:
	The most recent Commission Audit Committee report is published on page 22 of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission Annual Report and Accounts 2009/10 and their advice is incorporated into the Statement of Internal Control published on page 37 of the same report which is available at the following link:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/pdf/annual-report/report-and-accounts-09-10.pdf

Children: Disadvantaged

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his speech to the annual conference of Relate, on 3 November 2010, what the evidential basis was for his statement that  (a) children from broken homes are nine times more likely to become young offenders and  (b) children in lone-parent and step-families are twice as likely to be in the bottom 20 per cent. of child outcomes as children in families headed by a married couple.

Maria Miller: In his speech to the Relate Annual Conference my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions stressed the importance of family life, drawing on information from a variety of sources.
	The Youth Justice Board Annual Review 2001-02: Building on Success, showed that of a sample of young offenders under the supervision of a Youth Offending Team only 30% were living with both their mother and father, much lower than the population as a whole, for example the Office for National Statistics Publication Social Trends 32 covering a similar period shows that the proportion of children living in households headed by a couple was 79% (though this will include some step families). By comparing these relative amounts we can deduce an indicative value for the relative probability for children from broken homes coming under the supervision of a Youth Offending Team.
	The relationship between family set-up and child outcomes is discussed in the 2009 Demos report 'Building Character'. As set out in the speech to the Relate Annual Conference it showed that children from lone-parent and step-families are twice as likely to have childhood outcomes in the bottom quintile.

Children: Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to publish the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's  (a) qualitative research on promotion of child maintenance and instigating behaviour change and  (b) evaluation of the Child Maintenance Options Service.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's (a) qualitative research on promotion of child maintenance and instigating behaviour change and (b) evaluation of the Child Maintenance Options Service.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's research into the promotion of child maintenance and behaviour change has been completed. The final draft of the report has been reviewed and it is expected that the results will be published shortly.
	The research to evaluate the Child Maintenance Options Service has also been completed. The research continues to be reviewed and the final report is currently being drafted. We expect to publish the findings in the spring of 2011.

Children: Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in child maintenance arrears was not pursued by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission following suspension of collection in each year since 2007.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much in child maintenance arrears was not actually pursued by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission following suspension of collection in each year since 2007.
	A net value of £93m in arrears of maintenance was suspended in the financial year 2006/07 and therefore deemed not feasible or insensitive to collect. This is calculated from the £388.9m that was suspended in that financial year and £295.9m of suspended arrears that were re-instated and deemed possible to collect. Arrears that were re-instated may be from previous financial years.
	In 2007/08, the latest published figures available, a net value of £6.5m in arrears of maintenance were suspended. This is calculated from the £221m of arrears that were suspended in this period and £214.5m that were re-instated.
	Figures for 2008/09 and 2009/10 are not available as the Commission has not yet finalised the client funds accounts for this period. The Commission continues to work with the National Audit Office with a view to publishing them in the near future.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Poverty

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of children in  (a) absolute poverty,  (b) relative poverty and  (c) combined material deprivation and low income in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency.

Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
	As they are based on survey data, child poverty estimates published in HBAI only allow breakdowns to Government office region and analysis by parliamentary constituency is not possible. However, figures for West Midlands are set out in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number and percentage of children living in (a) relative poverty before housing costs (BHC) ,  (b) absolute poverty (BHC) and (c) combined material d eprivation and low income in  West Midlands, before housing costs 
			  Number of children (million) and percentage 
			   Absolute poverty  Relative poverty  Combined material deprivation and low income 
			  Period  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2006-07 to 2008-09 0.2 17 0.3 29 0.2 21 
			  Notes 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2008-09 Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for households below average income figures are single financial years. Three survey years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. Number of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000, while proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 5. These statistics are based on incomes before housing costs. 6. Each of the measures is defined as:  Relative poverty: Percentage of children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income.  Absolute poverty: Percentage of children living in households with less than 60% of 1998-99 median household income held constant in real terms.  Low income and material deprivation: Percentage of children living in households in material deprivation and with less than 70% of contemporary median household income.  Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP.

Crisis Loans

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many crisis loans his Department has issued in the last 12 months in  (a) North Tyneside constituency,  (b) the North East and  (c) England.

Steve Webb: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Initial crisis loan awards made from December 2009 to November 2010 
			   Number 
			 North East 173,490 
			 England 2,198,620 
			  Notes:  1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using official/national statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as official/national statistics and there are some issues with the data; for example, the numbers given do not include awards processed clerically which had not yet been entered on to the social fund computer system.  2. The number of initial crisis loan awards is not available by constituency, but only by Government office region or Jobcentre Plus social fund budget area.  3. The North East has been interpreted as the Government office region of that name.  4. Numbers are for initial awards only and do not include awards made after review.  5. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many invoices his Department processed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The amount of invoices which the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has processed in the last 12 months is 859,649. This information represents the invoices for the 12 month period, December 2009 to November 2010 inclusive.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department and its predecessors spent on press cuttings services in each year since 1997.

Chris Grayling: The figures available for cost of press cuttings services to the Department extend as far back as 2006 due to the introduction of a new Procurement and Finance IT system in December 2005. All details of expenditure prior to this time have been archived, and therefore disproportionate costs would be incurred to produce figures prior to 2006. There were significant costs incurred in the financial year 2009-10, this was due to increased press activity in relation to the recession.
	The Department is committed to driving down costs and delivering efficiencies. A new contract was agreed in April 2010 which dramatically reduced the amount of employees with access to the press cuttings and also reduced the number of cuttings actually received. We expect this to substantially reduce our costs compared to 2009-10. We continue to monitor all expenditure with a view to delivering maximum value for the taxpayer.
	The cost of press cuttings services to the Department from 2006 shown in the following table are inclusive of VAT, however it should be noted that the VAT is recovered by the Department for these services:
	
		
			  Financial year  Cost (inc VAT) (£) 
			 2006-07 124,851.88 
			 2007-08 136,565.13 
			 2008-09 195,906.65 
			 2009-10 334,010.70 
			 2010-11 (first seven months) 109,597.68

Departmental Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible have taken to comply with the guidance of the Office of Government Commerce on promoting skills through public procurement issued in 2009.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions, its agencies and NDPBs are fully engaged with the Government drive to promote skills through procurement.
	Supporting this, the Department launched the DWP Supplier Charter in October 2009 which the Department's key suppliers have signed up to.
	Under this Charter, larger suppliers are required to commit to the Government, trade unions, private and third sector employer organisations "Joint Statement" which ensures that all employees working on Government contracts are given access to training for basic skills. Suppliers are encouraged to work with Government to unlock talent, build relevant skills and expand opportunities for people to work, offering training and apprenticeships that develop a work force with world class skills.
	Furthermore, the Department has developed and implemented a contract schedule which is fully utilised in all procurement exercises to improve the number of apprenticeships and wider skills opportunities created through procurement. The schedule requires that suppliers:
	Take all reasonable steps to employ apprentices and report to DWP the numbers of apprentices employed/wider skills training provided during delivery of the contract;
	Take all reasonable steps to ensure that at least 5% of the employees involved in delivery of the contract are on a formal Apprenticeship Programme;
	Make available to its employees working on the contract, information about the Government's Apprenticeship Programme and wider skills opportunities;
	Provide appropriate further skills training opportunities for employees delivering the contract;
	Provide a written report to DWP that provides an update against the above requirements.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) steps he is taking to encourage small businesses to bid for contracts let by his Department and  (b) recent guidance he has provided to small businesses on bidding for such contracts.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions is fully engaged with Government initiatives to promote the use of small and medium-sized enterprises and increase the level of business they get from Government. This business can be either direct, by winning departmental contracts, or indirect, working as partners with or sub-contractors to the Department's prime contractors.
	We are achieving the new Government commitment that 25% of contracts will be let to small and medium enterprises and in 2009-10 achieved 29%.The Department is also fully committed to using the new cross-Government pre-qualification questionnaire which is designed to simplify the tendering process for small and medium enterprises and will be launched in December 2010.
	We plan to encourage and support small and medium enterprises to form part of a wider approach set out in the DWP Commercial Strategy. This has objectives to make it easier for suppliers to compete for contracts and encourage a diverse supply base.
	Small and medium-sized businesses are encouraged to contract with the Department, either as first tier suppliers where they are able or as sub-contractors for more complex contracts. Part of the approach is to use the DWP Supplier Charter, signed by the Department's top suppliers, which refers to extending its principles to small and medium-sized enterprises as sub-contractors. Under the Charter, larger suppliers are expected to use small and medium sized business and voluntary organisations as sub-contractors where it is appropriate.
	Small businesses and voluntary organisations provide significant contributions to welfare to work provision where their specialist and local expertise can add great value. In preparing for the Work Programme the Department has engaged with these organisations to gain their views and encourage them to become involved. It has taken steps to encourage potential prime contractors to come together with a range of partners and sub-contractors where they could add value to bids and will run local events to help prime-contractors understand the needs and issues within each locality so they can put together appropriate supply chains for that area.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with voluntary and community groups on bidding for contracts let by his Department.

Chris Grayling: DWP continues to engage and acknowledge the vital role the voluntary and community sector plays in helping people back to work through the delivery of its employment programmes. This business can be either direct, by winning departmental contracts, or indirect, working as partners with or subcontractors to the Department's prime contractors.
	During the autumn and early winter we have held events across Great Britain to engage voluntary and community sector organisations in our plans for the Work programme and the commercial opportunities it presents. We also supported events with the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) Association of Learning Providers (ALP) and the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion (CESI).
	In December I wrote to representative groups from the sector encouraging them to ensure their members are aware of the opportunity the Work programme presents for them to market their value and work with larger delivery partners in delivering contracts.
	DWP hosted an event on 20 December with small providers to encourage them to strengthen their hand in their dealings with prime providers and become an active participant in delivery of the Work programme.
	Small businesses and voluntary organisations provide significant contributions to welfare to work provision where their specialist and local expertise can add great value. In preparing for the Work programme the Department has engaged with these organisations to gain their views and encourage them to become involved. It has taken steps to encourage potential prime contractors to come together with a range of partners and subcontractors where they could add value to bids and will run local events to help prime-contractors understand the needs and issues within each locality so they can put together appropriate supply chains for that area.
	DWP is competitively neutral in letting its contracts. However, it recognises the value specialist and voluntary sector organisations can add in the delivery of welfare to work services. We actively encourage them to form partnerships and join up their expertise and financial resources to bid as a consortium to deliver our programmes directly or alternatively, market their expertise to the prime supplier as subcontractors
	We are supporting partnership discussions using the Indus Delta website, hosted by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion (CESI), to provide a facility for potential framework organisations and supply chain partners to make first contact with each other.
	Organisations are also encouraged to use the Merlin web portal:
	www.merlinstandard.co.uk
	that was launched on 25 November. This provides free support to smaller, specialist and voluntary sector providers in applying to prime providers to become part of their supply chain.

Departmental Travel

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on grey fleet in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Chris Grayling: The DWP spent the following on grey fleet:
	
		
			   £ 
			  (a) 2008-09 10,223,023 
			  (b) 2009-10 9,749,839

Disability Living Allowance

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account he took of his Department's policy of personalisation in developing his proposals for the removal of the mobility component of disability living allowance from those in residential care homes.

Maria Miller: The Government are committed to increased personalisation of care services including for those individuals in residential care settings. This will help ensure services are tailored to the needs of each individual. The maze of legal duties, contractual obligations and service levels related to the various funding streams available to disabled people, including DLA mobility component, will need to be clarified to facilitate personalised support in the future.

Disability Living Allowance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in residential or nursing home care in  (a) the North West and  (b) Warrington were in receipt of disability living allowance in each of the last five years.

Maria Miller: Reliable estimates of total disability living allowance claimants in residential care homes are not available as we are unable to identify accurately DLA claimants who meet the full cost of their residential care.

Disability Living Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of administering the  (a) higher and  (b) lower rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance received by people living (i) in residential care and (ii) independently in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: The way in which management information is captured means that we are unable to provide an estimate of the cost to the public purse of administering individual components of disability living allowance to specific groups or recipients.

Disability Living Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living  (a) in residential care homes and  (b) independently who receive the mobility component of disability living allowance work (i) under 10 hours a week, (ii) between 10 and 16 hours a week, (iii) between 16 and 40 hours a week and (iv) over 40 hours a week; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: Reliable estimates of the numbers of mobility component claimants in residential care homes who work is not available.
	The Family Resources Survey estimates that around 15% of all mobility component recipients are in work.

Disability Living Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people living  (a) in residential care and  (b) independently who receive the mobility component of disability living allowance and who lease or own (i) a car and (ii) a motability scooter paid for from that allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: The numbers and types of vehicles held by Motability customers in Great Britain who forgo all or part of their higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Numbers and types of vehicles held by Motability customers in GB 
			   Number 
			 Cars 564,809 
			 Scooters 8,017 
			 Wheelchairs 1,415 
		
	
	Motability estimate that around 12,000 of this total customer base live in residential care homes. They are not able to break this figure down further between people on the car scheme and people on the powered wheelchair and scooter scheme.

Disability Living Allowance and Means-tested Benefits

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged between 18 and 65 receive disability living allowance and a means-tested benefit.

Maria Miller: The estimated number of claimants aged between 18 and 65 receiving disability living allowance and a means-tested benefit at the end of May 2010 was 911,230.
	 Notes :
	1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Means-tested benefits are income support, pension credit, jobseeker's allowance (income based) and employment support allowance (income based). As this estimate includes all jobseeker's allowance claims (see note 3), it will be an over-estimate.
	3. In order to derive an estimate from a consistent source, this analysis is based on 100% WPLS data. It is not possible to determine from this data whether jobseeker's allowance recipients are contributory only cases, or if they are partially or wholly JSA income based recipients. Normally sample data would be used if this split was required, however no sample data are available for employment and support allowance. Therefore WPLS 100% data which include all JSA cases have been used to provide this estimate.
	4. Number receiving DLA excludes people whose payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.
	5. For a small number of cases no age is recorded-such cases are excluded from this analysis.
	 Source
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence with  (a) organisations representing disabled people and  (b) local authorities on the subject of removing from care home residents eligibility for the mobility element of disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: As at 6 December 2010, a search of the available data in the Department's ministerial correspondence system has identified five pieces of correspondence addressed to Ministers from organisations representing disabled people on the subject of removing from care home residents eligibility for the mobility element of disability living allowance; the search has not identified any correspondence addressed to Ministers from local authorities on this matter.
	The five pieces of correspondence identified have been placed in the Library.
	Local authority contracts with care homes will cover services to meet a resident's assessed needs. This will cover activities of daily living which may include providing access to doctors, dentists and local services such as libraries and banks. In addition, care homes are required where practicable to promote the independence, participation and community involvement of their residents.
	This is a highly complex area in terms of both funding streams and the different responsibilities of all the parties involved and there are a maze of legal duties, contractual obligations and service levels to take into account. For example, NHS-funded individuals in residential care do not receive the DLA mobility component, while those funded by local authorities do.
	Disabled people and their representatives can put forward their views on this proposal as part of the wider DLA reform consultation document, which was published on 6 December 2010; copies of which are available in the Library.

Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what legal advice his Department has sought from the Attorney-General on the compatibility of his Department's proposed removal of the mobility component of disability living allowance from long-stay residents of local authority-funded care homes or colleges from October 2012 with the Government's statutory equality duties; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: By long-standing convention, observed by successive administrations and embodied in the Ministerial Code, the fact that the Law Officers have advised (or have not advised) on a particular issue, and the content of any advice, is not disclosed outside Government.

Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2010,  Official Report, column 789W, on disability living allowance: care homes, whether his Department plans to make additional resources available to local authorities to meet the needs of residents following the removal of the mobility component of the disability living allowance for people in residential care.

Maria Miller: The Government set out the departmental resource allocations in the Spending Review announcement on 20 October 2010.
	Local authority contracts with care homes will cover services to meet a resident's assessed needs. This will cover activities of daily living which may include providing access to doctors, dentists and local services such as libraries and banks. In addition, care homes are required where practicable to promote the independence, participation and community involvement of their residents.
	This is a highly complex area in terms of both funding streams and the different responsibilities of all the parties involved and there are a maze of legal duties, contractual obligations and service levels to take into account. For example, NHS-funded individuals in residential care do not receive the DLA mobility component, while those funded by local authorities do.
	People are also invited to put forward their views on this proposal as part of the wider DLA reform consultation document which was published on 6 December 2010. This can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2010/dla-reform.shtml
	The consultation ends on 14 February 2011.

Disability Living Allowance: Care Homes

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received from local authorities on his decision to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance for people in residential care.

Maria Miller: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 7 December 2010,  Official Report, column 161W, to the right hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Mr Alexander).

Disability Living Allowance: Mental Health

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effects on levels of mental health and wellbeing of recipients of the mobility component of disability living allowance in local authority-funded nursing homes and colleges of his Department's proposed removal of the mobility component from October 2012.

Maria Miller: Care homes are required, where practicable, to promote the independence, participation and community involvement of their residents. Local authority contracts with care homes will cover services to meet a resident's assessed needs. This will cover activities of daily living which may include providing access to doctors, dentists and local services such as libraries and banks.
	Consideration was given to the equality impacts of the measure when the proposal was being developed. The Equality Impact Assessment for removing the mobility component of disability living allowance from state funded care home residents after 28 days will be published with the proposed legislation.
	People are also invited to put forward their views on this proposal as part of the wider DLA reform consultation document which was published on 6 December 2010. This can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2010/dla-reform.shtml
	The consultation ends on 14 February 2011.

Employment and Support Allowance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what interim arrangements he plans to put in place for people with  (a) mental health conditions and  (b) chronic fluctuating conditions who apply for employment and support allowance pending the implementation of the recommendations of the independent review led by Professor Malcolm Harrington.

Chris Grayling: As identified by Professor Harrington during his Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), we believe that the principles of the assessment are right, but that the system which we inherited contained some flaws that risked undermining its effectiveness.
	We are committed to taking forward the review's recommendations so that we can make the system fairer for claimants and fairer for the taxpayer. This is an ongoing process of improvement, so I am delighted that Professor Harrington has agreed to take on the second Independent Review of the WCA.
	As with other fluctuating and chronic health conditions it is important that the WCA takes account of fluctuating mental health symptoms when assessing capability for work, it is not a snapshot view of a customer's ability to undertake day-to-day activities at any single point in time, but rather an assessment of their ability most of the time. The recommendations of the Harrington review will help us to improve the process, including for people with fluctuating mental health conditions.
	Mental, intellectual and cognitive champions are due to be launched by Atos Healthcare during the first quarter of 2011, so that they are in place in time for reassessment of individuals from incapacity benefits. The champions will spread best practice regarding mental, intellectual and cognitive conditions and also handle more difficult cases.
	Additionally, as you may be aware, Professor Harrington has asked Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, also involving Mencap and the National Autistic Society to provide recommendations on refining the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors within the WCA. We look forward to receiving these recommendations shortly.

Employment and Support Allowance: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has assessed the merits of exempting people diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis from the work capability assessment for employment and support allowance pending the implementation of the recommendations of the independent review led by Professor Malcolm Harrington.

Chris Grayling: We recognise that ME has a wide spectrum of symptoms and can be a severely debilitating condition. The effects of ME on an individual may contribute to someone meeting the entitlement conditions for benefits.
	However, the WCA is a functional assessment. Eligibility is not based on having a particular condition but on the impact that condition has on an individual's functional ability. This is why it is important for us to assess each claimant individually, and why no particular conditions are 'exempted' from the WCA.
	We are working to implement Professor Harrington's recommendations as quickly as possible. Moreover, as part of his second independent review of the WCA, Professor Harrington is focusing in particular on the assessment of fluctuating conditions, such as ME. He will review and recommend improvements to the assessment, and we look forward to receiving his recommendations.

Employment and Support Allowance: Livingston

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants of employment and support allowance in Livingston constituency have been judged fit for work since May 2008; how many appeals against such determinations were initiated; and how many such appeals were granted.

Chris Grayling: Employment and support allowance (ESA) was introduced in October 2008. Information is not available at the constituency level, so instead data has been provided for the West Lothian local authority area, which covers the Livingston constituency.
	Between October 2008 and February 2010 (the latest figures available), there have been 2,870 ESA claims received in the West Lothian local authority. Of these, 1,280 or 44%, have been found fit for work.
	There have been 380 appeals against a fit for work decision heard by the end of July 2010 for claims that started between October 2008 and August 2009. Of these, 180 found in favour of the appellant meaning their eligibility for ESA was reinstated.
	The Department regularly publishes official statistics on ESA and the work capability assessment. The latest report was published in October 2010 and can be found on the departmental website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/index.php?page=esa_wca_arc
	 Note:
	All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Data is taken from: benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions; functional assessment data sourced from Atos Healthcare; and appeals data sourced from the Tribunals Service.

Employment Schemes: Contracts

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to set a limit on the amount each approved prime contractor under the Work Programme can charge for administration purposes when sub-contracting provision.

Chris Grayling: As part of the procurement process we will be asking bidders for a full breakdown of their costs for delivery including administration and will look to see that they are fair and reasonable set against their overall delivery proposals. The Department will not be seeking to limit or cap any provider's spending on administrative costs under the Work Programme as this may constrain delivery ability/options available to Prime Providers.

Employment Schemes: Further Education

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for further education colleges in the provision of training under the Work Programme; and what discussions  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had with Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the role of further education colleges in the Work Programme.

Chris Grayling: As part of their wider remit of supporting customers to move off benefits and into sustainable employment, Work programme providers should consider any outstanding skills needs. Work programme providers will be able to refer eligible customers to flexible skills provision on offer locally. Alternatively they may decide to deliver training and skills support in-house or buy this in.
	We are not specifying who providers should use to deliver training and skills support, but will reward the result of successfully overcoming a customer's barriers and moving them into sustained employment.
	In designing the Work programme we have had and continue to hold ongoing discussion with other Government Departments including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Work programme customers with skills barriers to employment will have the same access to Government funded flexible skills provision on offer locally as other non-work programme customers on active benefits.
	Skills for Sustainable Growth, published by BIS in November 2010, sets out the Government's strategy for skills in England. DWP Ministers and officials helped to formulate this strategy and the DWP continues to work closely with BIS on the proposals to support customers on active benefits (jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance (work-related activity group)) to access state-subsidised, accredited training relevant to the local labour market. The proposals give training providers greater freedom to tailor training to the needs of the local community and economy. Jobcentre Plus will have an important role influencing the local training offer, engaging with employers, colleges and providers.

Future Jobs Fund: Waltham Forest

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people from Waltham Forest participated in the Future Jobs Fund in 2009-10; and what the employment status of each is.

Chris Grayling: Just over 300 young people from Waltham Forest have participated in the Future Jobs Fund between 1 October 2009 and the end of July 2010. This figure is derived from the latest Young Person's Guarantee official statistics published on 13 October 2010. The Department does not keep records of the current employment status of individuals after they have left jobs supported through the Future Jobs Fund.

Housing Benefit: Fuel Poverty

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to use the housing benefit system to address the increase in the level of  (a) fuel poverty and  (b) child poverty.

Steve Webb: Housing Benefit Reform is part of a radical reform of the benefit system, which will lead to the introduction of Universal Credit. Universal Credit will create a simpler integrated system of support and improve work incentives by enabling people to keep more of their income in work. We expect that the first new claims to Universal Credit will begin from 2013.
	The primary purpose of Housing Benefit is to provide help with the costs of housing. The Department will be taking forward a programme of evaluation and monitoring of Housing Benefit Reforms as they are rolled out.
	Winter fuel payments provide reassurance to older people that they can turn their heating up in the winter. In winter 2009-10 we made over 12.6 million winter fuel payments. This winter we will continue to pay the winter fuel payment at the higher rate of £250 and £400 depending on age and circumstances.
	Cold weather payments provide additional support to the most vulnerable in periods of exceptionally cold weather. The Government have announced that the temporary increase in cold weather payment of £25 for each week of cold weather will be made permanent.

Housing Benefit: Job Seekers Allowance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the average period of time for which claimants will continue to receive jobseeker's allowance (JSA) after the reduction in the level of their housing benefit payments after having been in receipt of JSA for 12 months; and what the average period of time was for which claimants remained on JSA after having been in receipt of payments for 12 months in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Information on the average period of time for which claimants will continue to receive jobseeker's allowance (JSA) after the reduction in the level of their housing benefit payments after having been in receipt of JSA for 12 months is not available.
	For those claimants who ceased to claim JSA in Great Britain in the period August to October 2010, and had been in receipt of JSA for at least 12 months, the average claim was 18 months.

Housing Benefit: Liverpool

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working families in Liverpool are in receipt of housing benefit.

Steve Webb: The following table provides the number of housing benefit recipients in Liverpool local authority by family type, passported indicator and employment flag. There are 5,880 families in Liverpool that are not in receipt of a passporting benefit, receive housing benefit and are in employment.
	
		
			   All claimants  Passported  Non-passported 
			 All  Not in employment  In employment 
			 All family types 63,570 48,940 14,450 8,570 5,880 
			 Single, no child dependant 40,380 32,010 8,220 6,560 1,660 
			 Single with child dependant(s) 14,420 10,700 3,720 770 2,950 
			 Couple, no child dependant 5,470 4,030 1,410 1,090 320 
			 Couple with child dependant(s) 3,290 2,190 1,100 160 950 
			  Notes:  1. The figures have been rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  2. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. An extended payment is a payment that may be received for a further four weeks when they start working full time, work more hours or earn more money.  3. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data is available monthly from November 2008 and September 2010 is the latest available.  4. People claiming housing benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or partner of claimant (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. Employment status is not available for passported benefit recipients. 5. Passported status does not include recipients with unknown passported status.   Source:  Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE), September 2010.

Housing Benefit: Liverpool

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many households in Liverpool, Wavertree constituency receive local housing allowance at the rate for a five bedroom property;
	(2)  how many households in  (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency and  (b) Liverpool receive over £250 per week in local housing allowance for a one bedroom property;
	(3)  how many households in  (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency and  (b) Liverpool receive over £400 per week in local housing allowance for a three bedroom property;
	(4)  how many households in  (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency and  (b) Liverpool receive over £340 per week in local housing allowance for a two bedroom property.

Steve Webb: The Department published a document on "Impacts of Housing Benefit proposals: Changes to the Local Housing Allowance to be introduced in 2011-12" on 23 July, which is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website.
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/local-authority-staff/housing-benefit/claims-processing/local-housing-allowance/impact-of-changes.shtml
	Tables 22 and 23 of this document present estimates of the impact of the housing benefit caps and table 35 presents the total number of households in each bedroom category, for each local authority.
	Information at the constituency level is not available.
	At present geographic breakdowns are only available for local authorities and regions. However, an exercise is being undertaken to add other geographical areas to the data; this will include parliamentary constituencies.

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average amount of local housing allowance paid for each tenure type was in  (a) Dumfries and Galloway local authority area and  (b) Dumfries and Galloway constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The local housing allowance arrangements only apply to those living in the deregulated private rented sector. In September 2010, the average weekly housing benefit in Dumfries and Galloway local authority was £77.97 per week.
	This information is not available at constituency level.
	 Source
	Single Housing Benefit Extract

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) local housing allowance in (i) the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area and (ii) Dumfries and Galloway constituency share their tenancy with a non-dependent for which a deduction is made from their entitlement.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available at the local level.
	The Department does collect information on non-dependant deductions but to assess the completeness of recording and quality assure the figures would incur a disproportionate cost.

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area and  (b) Dumfries and Galloway constituency receive local housing allowance.

Steve Webb: At September 2010, our records show that in Dumfries and Galloway local authority there were 1,690 recipients of housing benefit assessed under the local housing allowance arrangements.
	Information at the constituency level is not available. At present geographic breakdowns are only available for local authorities and regions. However, an exercise is being undertaken to add other geographical areas to the data; this will include parliamentary constituencies.
	 Source:
	Single housing benefit extract. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 recipients.

Independent Living Fund

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation was undertaken before making the decision to restrict the criteria for applications for funding under the Independent Living Fund in 2010-11.

Maria Miller: The decision to limit new applications to those in employment for more than 16 hours per week was taken under the previous Government. I understand that no formal consultation occurred before this decision was made.

Independent Living Fund

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received from local authorities on his proposals to phase out the Independent Living Fund.

Maria Miller: Local authorities will be able to make formal representations concerning the future of the independent living fund when we publish the consultation document. This will be published after the commission on the long-term funding of adult social care has reported.

Industrial Health and Safety

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  which Minister in his Department has lead responsibility for the implementation of recommendations of Lord Young's review of health and safety;
	(2)  what timetable he has established for the implementation of the recommendations of Lord Young's review of health and safety.

Chris Grayling: The key implementation milestones for the recommendations of Lord Young's health and safety review are shown at Annex M to his report 'Common Sense, Common Safety', which was published on 15 October 2010. The milestones were agreed by Lord Young with the Department or body responsible for taking forward each recommendation.
	As Minister with responsibility for the Health and Safety Executive, I have lead responsibility within the Department for Work and Pensions for the implementation of those recommendations of Lord Young's review which fall to the Department or the Health and Safety Executive.

Institute for Fiscal Studies

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 357-58W, on the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), what contracts his Department had with the IFS between 2003-04 and 2010-11; what the monetary value was of each such contract; and what tender process was undertaken in each case.

Chris Grayling: The majority of contracts awarded to the Institute of Fiscal Studies by DWP between 2003-04 and 2010-11 were for Social and Economic Research. The contracted amounts for each project are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Contract name  Tender process  Value (£) 
			 Childcare use and parents employment Open Competition 39,320 
			 Including Disabled People and their partners in a dynamic model of Labour Market transitions Open Competition 37,155 
			 Lone Parent Pilots Impact Assessment. August 2004-March 2010 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 495,561 
			 Newborns and new schools-Critical times for women's employment. March 2005-September 2005 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 48,520 
			 Retirement Savings Incentives. August 2005-October 2005 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 15,320 
			 Ethnic Parity in Jobcentre Plus Programmes and Mainstream Services. February 2006-December 2007 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 160,000 
			 Impact Evaluation of NNI using DWP administrative data (Part of the overall NNI evaluation being conducted by IFS). February 2006-April 2006 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 32,400 
			 ELSA secondary analysis: Characteristics of those with inadequate retirement incomes. March 2006 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 3,090 
			 Employment Transitions and Partnership Histories. May 2006-March 2007 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 59,310 
			 Retention, progression and advancement for low income families. October 2007-November 2008 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 69,605 
			 Life time earnings and retirement income outcomes. January 2008-October 2008 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 50,000 
			 The living standards of families reporting low incomes. August 2008-February 2009 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 72,364 
			 EWL Segmentation Work-Stage 1 (Formerly 'Characteristics of those aged around the state pension age who are in and out of paid work: stage 1'. December 2008-February 2009 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 17,020 
			 What does the distribution of wealth tell us about future retirement resources?: Analysis of Wealth and Assets Survey. October 2009-March 2010 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 29,990 
			 IFS HBAI Project 02/03 Contract let by single tender 30,765 
			 IFS HBAI Project 03/04 Contract let by single tender 29,902 
			 IFS HBAI Project 04/05 Contract let by single tender 34,569 
			 IFS HBAI Project 05/06 Contract let by single tender 38,093 
			 IFS HBAI Project 06/07 Contract let by single tender 49,904 
			 IFS HBAI Project 07/08 Contract let by single tender 48,818 
			 IFS HBAI Project 08/09 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 52,080 
			 IFS HBAI Project 09/10 Let through the DWP Social and Economic Research Framework 53,265 
			 Total  1,519,131 
		
	
	The discrepancy of £169,989 (to the answer of 24 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 357-8W) is due to the spend details coming from our Accounts payable records and they do not necessarily match contract values.

Jobcentre Plus: Greater London

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the surface area is of each jobcentre in each London borough.

Chris Grayling: The internal surface area by square metre of each Jobcentre building in each London borough is listed in the following table.
	
		
			  District  Site  Boroughs  Square Metre 
			 NNE Barking Barking and Dagenham 2,967 
			 NNE Dagenham Barking and Dagenham 1,102 
			 NNE Romford Havering 3,183 
			 NNE Hornchurch Havering 1,155 
			 NNE Redbridge Redbridge 1,800 
			 NNE Leytonstone Waltham Forest 2,001 
			 NNE Walthamstow JC Waltham Forest 1,677 
			 NNE Barnet Barnet 1,365 
			 NNE Edgware, Barnet 1,204 
			 NNE Hendon, Barnet 1,433 
			 NNE Finchley, Barnet 703 
			 NNE Enfield Enfield 1,015 
			 NNE Palmers Green Enfield 1,210 
			 NNE Edmonton Enfield 667 
			 NNE Tottenham Haringey 1,545 
			 NNE Wood Green Haringey 1,382 
			 CL Kentish Town Camden 999 
			 CL Highgate Islington 2,709 
			 CL Barnsbury Islington 1,535 
			 CL Finsbury Park Islington 1,428 
			 CL North Kensington Kensington and Chelsea 1,251 
			 CL St Marylebone Westminster 2,950 
			 CL Westminster Westminster 1,243 
			 SL Bexleyheath Bexley 2,070 
			 SL Bromley Bromley 5,464 
			 SL Croydon Croydon 1,546 
			 SL Purley Croydon 791 
			 SL Thornton Heath Croydon 959 
			 SL Woolwich Greenwich 2,112 
			 SL Eltham Greenwich 764 
			 SL Lewisham Lewisham 2,305 
			 SL Forest Hill Lewisham 1,679 
			 SL Mitcham Merton 971 
			 SL Sutton Sutton 2,321 
			 SL Twickenham Richmond upon Thames 1,214 
			 SL Kingston Kingston Upon Thames 2,999 
			 LSW Kennington Park Lambeth 2,580 
			 LSW Stockwell Lambeth 1,459 
			 LSW Streatham Lambeth 3,013 
			 LSW Brixton Lambeth 4,008 
			 LSW Clapham Common Lambeth 1,120 
			 LSW London Bridge Southwark 1,482 
			 LSW Peckham Southwark 1,669 
			 LSW Camberwell Southwark 876 
			 LSW Wandsworth Wandsworth 1,775 
			 WL Harlesden Brent 2,721 
			 WL Kilburn Brent 1,341 
			 WL Willesden Brent 4,334 
			 WL Wembley Brent 1,378 
			 WL Ealing Ealing 1,600 
			 WL Southall Ealing 1,041 
			 WL Acton Ealing 3,804 
			 WL Fulham Hammersmith and Fulham 3,149 
			 WL Hammersmith Hammersmith and Fulham 1,981 
			 WL Shepherds Bush Hammersmith and Fulham 1,120 
			 WL Harrow Kings House Harrow 2,752 
			 WL Harrow Station Road Harrow 887 
			 WL Uxbridge Hillingdon 1,136 
			 WL Hayes Hillingdon 910 
			 WL Hounslow Hounslow 4,730 
			 C and E Hoxton Hackney 2,060 
			 C and E Dalston Hackney 1,137 
			 C and E Stratford Newham 1,362 
			 C and E Canning Town Newham 1,220 
			 C and E Plaistow Newham 1,219 
			 C and E East Ham Newham 743 
			 C and E Poplar Tower Hamlets 2,002 
			 C and E City Tower Hamlets 2,149 
			 C and E Hackney Hackney 2,230

Jobseeker's Allowance: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 18 to 24 years had been receiving jobseeker's allowance for more than nine months in October 2010.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people aged 18 to 24 years had been receiving jobseeker's allowance for more than nine months in October 2010. (031211)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
	The number of people aged 18 to 24 years who have been claiming JSA for more than nine months in October 2010 was 36,025.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Motability: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2010,  Official Report, column 789W, on disability living allowance: care homes, how many users of the Motability scheme there are in Scotland.

Maria Miller: Motability is an independent charitable organisation and is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme. Motability has advised that there are around 60,000 users of the Motability scheme in Scotland.

Motability: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2010,  Official Report, column 819W, on disability living allowance: care homes, how many claimants of disability living allowance, who live in residential care and will be affected by his proposed reforms, live in Scotland.

Maria Miller: We estimate that approximately 6,000 people who claim the mobility component of disability living allowance and live in residential care in Scotland will be affected by the measure to cease paying the mobility component from October 2012.

National Insurance: Fraud

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the level of fraudulent use of national insurance numbers; and what steps he is taking to reduce the fraudulent use of such numbers.

Chris Grayling: The national insurance number is a unique personal reference number used for tax, national insurance, state benefits and credits and student loans. Estimates of national insurance numbers that are used fraudulently are not available.
	DWP has robust gateway checks in place to prevent national insurance numbers being used fraudulently for benefit purposes. Where the Department identities that a national insurance number has been used for attempted benefit fraud or is aware that a national insurance number may be vulnerable to fraudulent use, the relevant national insurance number account is annotated accordingly on DWP systems and any subsequent benefit claim using that national insurance number would automatically be subjected to close scrutiny and, if appropriate, be referred to DWP's Fraud Investigation Service. The Department currently has 8,500 accounts marked as vulnerable.
	In addition, as part of the adult national insurance number process, robust identity verification checks are in place to prevent fraudsters acquiring national insurance numbers. During 2009-10, Jobcentre Plus refused to allocate national insurance numbers on 47,000 applications.

New Deal Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many episodes of work have been mandated since the introduction of the Flexible New Deal; how many individuals have participated in such episodes; and how many sanctions have been issued for non-compliance.

Chris Grayling: This information is not available in the format requested.

North East

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Ministers in his Department have visited the North East since their appointment; and what the  (a) date and  (b) purpose was of each such visit.

Chris Grayling: The Minister for Pensions went to the north-east on 6 October where he visited the Newcastle Pension Centre to meet local staff and then travelled onto the Trinity Community Centre in Gateshead to meet older members of the community who use the centre.

Pension Credit

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to reform the administration of pension credit.

Steve Webb: DWP Ministers are currently looking at options to simplify the state pension system for future pensioners and also wider welfare reform. Any change to pension credit will be considered as part of these reviews.

Pensions: Publicity

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase the level of information his Department provides to the public on  (a) auto-enrolment and  (b) National Employment Savings Trust pension schemes amongst (i) employers and (ii) employees.

Steve Webb: The Department will deliver communications and information to individuals and support the Pensions Regulator's engagement with employers and their intermediaries by raising awareness of the reforms and automatic enrolment.
	Firstly on automatic enrolment:
	 (i) Employers
	The Pensions Regulator is responsible for providing information about how employers can comply with their new duties and their communication and education campaigns are designed to achieve this.
	The Regulator will be writing to all employers several times ahead of their staging date telling them what their staging date is and directing them to the website where they will be able to find out all the information they will need about how to comply with the reforms.
	We continue to work closely with the Regulator to ensure that there is coherent and consistent information available to meet the needs of employers.
	 (ii) Employees
	Current plans are to make information and guidance available to all individuals so that in the run up to automatic enrolment and beyond people will have access to information about pensions. Our information service will be a key part of our wider communications plans to support the reforms, and will explain the reforms in a simple and accessible way. Information about automatic enrolment will be presented as part of wider information on retirement planning.
	We will ensure that information is available in a range of accessible and relevant formats, including online, via telephone, and in print where appropriate.
	We are also working with key information partners to signpost to more specialist, independent or more general financial information as part of our strategy. In particular we are working with the Pensions Advisory Service and the Consumer Financial Education Body
	There is currently some outline information on the DWP website which explains the reforms at the following web address:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/pensions-reform/workplace-pension-reforms/
	Secondly on increasing information on NEST:
	The NEST Corporation will provide information about NEST to employers, employees and third parties. The information will aim to support employers who may be considering the option of choosing NEST for their employees and will aim to support scheme members in their decision making, such as fund choice.
	The information will be supported by communications and information from DWP and the Pensions Regulator on the introduction of automatic enrolment.
	NEST is now a scheme in its own right and is subject to the same legal requirements as other trust-based occupational pension schemes. It will be required to provide a range of information related to the scheme to various parties including participating employers and scheme members.

Poverty: Children

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of children in Dartford constituency living in  (a) absolute and  (b) relative poverty.

Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
	As they are based on survey data, child poverty estimates published in HBAI only allow breakdowns to Government office region and analysis by parliamentary constituency is not possible. However, figures for South East of England are set out in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number and percentage of children living in (a) absolute poverty Before Housing Costs and (b) relative poverty in the South East of England, Before Housing Costs (BHC) 
			  Period  Absolute poverty  Relative poverty 
			   Number (million)  Percentage  Number (million)  Percentage 
			 2006-07 to 2008-09 0.2 9 0.3 15 
			  Notes:  1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.  2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.  3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. Three survey years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility.  4. Numbers of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000, while proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.  5. These statistics are based on incomes Before Housing Costs.  6. Each of the measures is defined as: Relative poverty: percentage of children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income. Absolute poverty: percentage of children living in households with less than 60% of 1998-99 median household income held constant in real terms.   Source:  Households Below Average Income, DWP.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to support long-term claimants of jobseeker's allowance in areas where New Deal contracts will cease to take new referrals from the end of December 2010 before the Work Programme commences.

Chris Grayling: We want to ensure that as many people benefit from the Work Programme as soon as possible, and will launch the Work Programme as soon as providers are ready to start delivery in each contract package area. We aim to have the new Work Programme in place nationally by the summer of 2011.
	We are determined to ensure that there is continuity of provision, and that the transition to the Work Programme does not leave any customer unsupported. Therefore, New Deal and Employment Zone contracts will be extended until June 2011, ensuring that customers referred to these programmes in March will be supported until the summer, by which time the Work Programme will have been rolled out.
	Before their referral to the Work Programme, customers will have access to support delivered through Jobcentre Plus, including access to work experience, help to volunteer or take advantage of peer-to-peer support, as well as help with basic skills or jobsearch techniques and access to the Jobcentre Plus Flexible Fund.

Social Security Benefits: Drugs

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many problem drug users resident in  (a) Chatham and Aylesford constituency,  (b) Medway constituency and  (c) Tonbridge and Malling constituency were in receipt of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance in each year since 2005;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of people in  (a) Medway constituency,  (b) Tonbridge and Malling constituency and  (c) Chatham and Aylesford constituency in receipt of out-of-work benefits who are unable to work as a result of (i) alcohol and (ii) drug dependency.

Maria Miller: As outlined in the Government's recently published 2010 Drug Strategy, substance dependency is one of the most damaging root causes of poverty, and helping people who are trapped on benefits through drug and alcohol addiction to recover and find employment is a top priority for this Government.
	Such information as is available is presented in the following tables.
	Information on the numbers of problem drug users (those using heroin and/or crack cocaine) who claim incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance is not available at the geographical breakdown requested. Table 1 shows the numbers of people in receipt of these benefits who declare that their main disabling condition is dependency on any drug. It should be noted that these figures represent a subset of all such claimants with a drug problem as those who do not report drug dependency as their main disabling condition are not captured.
	Similarly, information on the number of people in receipt of out of work benefits, who are unable to work as a result of a drug or alcohol dependency, is not available at the geographical breakdown requested. Table 2 shows all claimants in receipt of disability benefits who have declared drug or alcohol abuse as the main disabling condition. These figures represent a subset of all working-age benefit recipients with a drug or alcohol dependency, as claimants who do not record these as their main disabling condition are not captured, nor are people on jobseeker's allowance or income support for whom this information is not recorded.
	
		
			  Table 1: Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants with drug abuse as main condition: May 2005-May 2010 
			  Parliamentary constituency (pre-2010 boundaries)  May 2005  May 2006  May 2007  May 2008  May 2009  May 2010 
			 Chatham and Aylesford 50 50 60 70 60 60 
			 Medway (Rochester and Strood for May 2010 figures only) 50 60 60 70 60 40 
			 Tonbridge and Malling 10 20 20 20 10 10 
			  Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10 claimants. 2. These figures refer to claimants whose problems relate to any drugs (including prescription ones). Claimants who do not report drug dependency as their main disabling condition are not captured, meaning that these figures represent a subset of all such claimants with a drug problem. 3. Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance were replaced by employment and support allowance (ESA) for new claimants in October 2008. 4. Drug dependency does not of itself confer entitlement to disability benefits, this is determined by a persons capability or capacity for employment. Where individuals with a substance dependency are in receipt of such benefits it will be because they have other diagnoses, for example mental illness, which limit their capability for work. 5. Figures for May 2010 are for Rochester and Strood as the parliamentary constituency boundary for Medway was revised for the 2010 general election, and as a result was largely incorporated into Rochester and Strood by the Boundary Commission for England in 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance and employment and support allowance claimants with alcoholism or drug abuse as a main condition-May 2010 
			  Parliamentary constituency (2010 boundaries)  Alcoholism  Drug abuse 
			 Chatham and Aylesford 70 70 
			 Rochester and Strood 60 60 
			 Tonbridge and Malling 20 20 
			  Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10 claimants. 2. These figures refer to claimants whose problems relate to alcohol or any drugs (including prescription ones). Claimants who do not report drug or alcohol dependency as their main disabling condition are not captured, nor are people on JSA or IS for whom this information is not recorded, meaning that these figures represent a subset of all claimants with a drug or alcohol problem. 3. Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance were replaced by employment and support allowance (ESA) for new claimants in October 2008. 4. Drug or alcohol dependency does not of itself confer entitlement to disability benefits; this is determined by a persons capability or capacity for employment. Where individuals with a substance dependency are in receipt of such benefits it will be because they have other diagnoses, for example mental illness, which limit their capability for work.  5. Parliamentary constituency boundaries were revised for the 2010 General election. Medway constituency was largely incorporated in to Rochester and Strood by the Boundary Commission for England in 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS).

Social Security Benefits: Scotland

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of local housing allowance who have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months live in  (a) the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area and  (b) Dumfries and Galloway constituency.

Steve Webb: The information is not available.
	Information is collected on the number of claimants in receipt of a passporting benefit, which includes income-based jobseeker's allowance.
	However neither the total number of jobseeker's allowance claimants receiving housing benefit nor the duration of such claims is available.

Social Security Disability Living Allowance Regulations 1991

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Social Security Disability Living Allowance Regulations 1991 to allow families to continue to receive disability living allowance when their children are in hospital or other care settings.

Maria Miller: Payment of disability living allowance and carers allowance continues to be made to children under 16 years in a hospital or a similar institution for the longer period of 84 days to avoid terminating payment of benefit for relatively short periods in hospital.
	Whereas those aged 16 and over retain payment of disability living allowance for 28 days, under 16s have a longer period of 84 days in recognition of the special needs that they may have for support from their parents while they are adjusting to hospital life.
	To leave benefit in payment indefinitely would mean that the Government were making provision twice for the same basic need, which would not be an effective use of taxpayers' money.

State Retirement Pensions

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receive the basic state pension.

Steve Webb: 11,268,300 people were in receipt of the basic state pension in March 2010.
	 Notes:
	1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2. Numbers are based on a 5% sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	3. Figures are rated in line with the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study total caseload.
	 Source:
	DWP, Information Directorate, 5% administrative data

State Retirement Pensions

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the amendment of the terms of the second state pension to enable those aged under 45 years with no dependent children to receive additional benefits accrued by their deceased spouses or civil partners; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: A small number of individual representations regarding the benefits available to people who are bereaved aged under 45 years with no dependent children have been received.
	As is the case for all benefits, bereavement benefits are kept under constant review. Any potential change to bereavement benefits in the future would be considered within the context of wider welfare reform and our commitment to create and deliver a 21(st) century welfare system.

Travel to Interview

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will take steps to ensure that jobseekers living in rural areas with few transport connections are not disadvantaged by the use of a distance criterion rather than a travelling time criterion when being considered for financial support provided by Jobcentre Plus for travelling to interviews;
	(2)  if he will assess the merits of measuring the qualifying distance for financial assistance under the Jobcentre Plus travel to interview scheme by travelling time rather than mileage;
	(3)  what distance a jobseeker must travel to attend an interview to qualify for financial assistance under the Jobcentre Plus travel to interview scheme.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Ruth Owen:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking if he will take steps to ensure that jobseekers living in rural areas with few transport connections are not disadvantaged by the use of a distance criterion rather than a travelling time criterion when being considered for financial support provided by Jobcentre Plus for travelling to interviews; if he will assess the merits of measuring the qualifying distance for financial assistance under the Jobcentre Plus travel to interview scheme by travelling time rather than mileage and what distance a jobseeker must travel to attend an interview to qualify for financial assistance under the Jobcentre Plus Travel to Interview Scheme. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Darra Singh as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Darra Singh is currently on annual leave, I am replying in his absence.
	The Travel to Interview Scheme is there to help our customers make the move from benefit into gainful employment. It aims to encourage customers to widen their jobsearch by helping them with travel costs to attend interviews outside their local travel to work area.
	As travel to work patterns vary enormously, it is the responsibility of the Jobcentre to determine normal daily travelling distance throughout Great Britain. The Jobcentre takes the following factors into account when setting their boundaries:
	Do local people commonly travel to the place of interview?
	How far away is the place of interview?
	How long will the journey take by public transport or car?
	How much will it cost to travel to the interview?
	Using their local knowledge, our Jobcentres factor in both distance and travelling time when setting their boundaries and this ensures that jobseekers in rural areas are not disadvantaged when they seek help with travel to interview costs. Each application is considered on its merits, taking the above factors into account before deciding whether help can be given.
	Advisers also have the discretion to help customers with travel costs to attend interviews within the local travel to work area, using their professional judgment for each individual case. Help may be given where a customer has several interviews within a short period of time or the cost of attending an interview will cause them financial hardship. In all cases the best interest of the customer must be the main consideration. There is no minimum travel distance; the only condition is that the cost of attending a single local job interview must exceed £4.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what strategy his Department has in place to ensure the implementation of obligations arising from the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities; and by what means he expects the Office for Disability Issues to discharge its role as both the focal point and coordinating mechanism for implementation of that convention.

Maria Miller: The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is designated as the UK Government focal point for work on the UN convention on the rights of disabled people under article 33 of the convention. The ODI is working with Departments across Westminster, and with the devolved Administrations to implement and report on the convention. This work includes raising awareness of the convention's obligations so that Departments are aware of their responsibility to take it into account in the development and implementation of policies which may affect disabled people, and coordinating the UK Government report to the United Nations.
	ODI is working directly with disabled people, including disabled children, in order to raise awareness of the convention and learn about their views on how the UK is implementing it, in the spirit of article 33(3) of the convention. This includes working with a convention working group chaired by the UK Disabled People's Council (UKDPC), and supporting a number of convention-related awareness and training events organised by UKDPC.
	ODI is also working with the four UK equality and human rights commissions which have been designated as the independent monitoring and reporting mechanism for the convention under article 33(2). ODI has supported a number of events held by the commissions in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to raise awareness, and help inform the reporting process.
	The wider Department for Work and Pensions is also committed to implementing the convention in relation to its policy and delivery activities. It is working closely with ODI and will be contributing to the UK Government report in 2011.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to implement its obligations arising from the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities in respect of  (a) Article 8,  (b) Article 12,  (c) Article 19,  (d) Article 27,  (e) Article 28 and  (f) other Articles of that convention.

Maria Miller: The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to the UN convention on the rights of disabled people, and to protecting the rights of disabled people and promoting choice and control in their daily lives.
	In respect of article 8, the Department has made a strong public commitment to the social model of disability, and the Office for Disability Issues has been working closely with the equality and human rights commissions across the UK to raise awareness of the convention.
	In respect of article 12, the Department has made good progress in developing a review process for benefit appointees, with a view to removing the reservation to article 12(4). This is a major undertaking because there are close to 900,000 DWP customers with appointees.
	In respect of article 19, we launched the Right to Control on 13 December. This is a new legal right to give disabled people control over the support they receive. Disabled people can choose how to spend funding they receive from six different sources in order to maximise their choice and independence. Right to Control is being tested in seven local authority areas in England, in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and disabled people's organisations.
	In respect of article 27, we launched Work Choice on 25 October 2010. Work Choice provides tailored support to help disabled people who face the most complex barriers to employment. It supports them to find employment and stay in work and ultimately helps them progress into unsupported employment. Work Choice is voluntary and available regardless of any benefits being claimed.
	In respect of article 28, the Department is playing its part in tackling the deficit and bringing spending under control. The Department remains committed to supporting the people who need it most, and protecting the most vulnerable in our communities. We are committed to understanding the impact of our policies on disabled people and will be undertaking equality impact assessments, which will be made public.
	As regards the wider convention, the Department recognises the principle of involvement of disabled people in the development of policies that affect them, and is engaging with disabled people on key changes such as the reform of disability living allowance.
	The UK Government will report to the UN in July 2011 setting out how implementation of the convention has been achieved across Government. DWP officials are working with officials at the Office for Disability Issues in preparing the report, and this will set out in more detail what the Department is doing to meet its obligations across the convention as a whole, including articles 8, 12,19, 27 and 28.

Universal Credit

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in respect of which marginal deduction rates will increase consequent on the implementation of his proposals for a Universal Credit.

Chris Grayling: Following full implementation of Universal Credit, marginal deduction rates will reduce for around 1.5 million workers in total, with the average (median) reduction in marginal deduction rate being 20 percentage points. As part of this, Universal Credit will particularly improve earnings incentives for 700,000 low-earning workers, reducing the highest marginal deduction rates from 95.8% to around 76%.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that no-one loses as a direct result of these reforms and we expect 350,000 children and 500,000 working-age adults to be moved out of poverty. We also anticipate that the Universal Credit will reduce the number of workless households by around 300,000.
	Around 2 million workers will see an increase in their marginal deduction rates with a median increase of just 4 percentage points, and none of these households will be worse off financially when they move to Universal Credit. A change in marginal deduction rate does not mean a change in what a family receives, only a difference in how much of their benefit they retain as they increase their hours worked or earnings marginally. Indeed, many of these families will see this change in their marginal deduction rates because Universal Credit allows low-earning households to keep more of their benefit, so as a consequence some households who previously received no state support will now do so. They will therefore have an increased marginal deduction rate but a higher income, as they are now receiving support which is withdrawn where previously there was none. Other households among this group will receive more than they previously did-and hence be better off financially. Some households will see a slight increase in deduction rates but they and their families will see no actual loss at the point of change, because they will be transitionally protected.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any Universal Credit payments attributable to official error will be recoverable from recipients as debts.

Chris Grayling: As announced in the joint DWP/HMRC strategy paper, 'Tackling fraud and error in the benefit and tax credits systems', we will be bringing forward proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill to widen the range of working age benefit overpayments we can recover and this will include those resulting from official error. While the Department must take responsibility for its mistakes, that does not give people the right to keep taxpayers' money that they are not entitled to.
	However, we recognise that recovery will not be appropriate in all cases, and the legislation will be supported by a code of practice which will set out the type of case where recovery action will not be taken. This will include overpayments arising from official error where the customer accepted the payment in good faith and where, given the customer's circumstances, it would be unreasonable for the money to be repaid.

Winter Fuel Payments: Appeals

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average waiting time for an appeal decision on a rejected Winter Fuel payment claim was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
	The average waiting time for an appeal decision on a rejected Winter Fuel payment, in April to June 2010 (the latest period for which data is available), was 7.47 weeks from receipt at the Tribunals Service to promulgation.

Work Programme

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with existing charitable providers of welfare to work services on the introduction of the Work Programme.

Chris Grayling: DWP continues to engage and acknowledge the vital role the voluntary and community sector plays in helping people back to work through the delivery of its employment programmes. This business can be either direct, by winning departmental contracts, or indirect, working as partners with or sub-contractors to the Department's prime contractors.
	During the autumn and early winter we have held events across Great Britain to engage voluntary and community sector organisations in our plans for the Work Programme and the commercial opportunities it presents. We also supported events with the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) Association of Learning Providers (ALP) and the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion (CESI).
	In December I wrote to representative groups from the sector encouraging them to ensure their members are aware of the opportunity the Work Programme presents for them to market their value and work with larger delivery partners in delivering contracts.
	DWP hosted an event on 20 December with small providers to encourage them to strengthen their hand in their dealings with prime providers and become an active participant in delivery of the Work programme.
	Small businesses and voluntary organisations provide significant contributions to welfare to work provision where their specialist and local expertise can add great value. In preparing for the Work Programme the Department has engaged with these organisations to gain their views and encourage them to become involved. It has taken steps to encourage potential prime contractors to come together with a range of partners and sub-contractors where they could add value to bids and will run local events to help prime-contractors understand the needs and issues within each locality so they can put together appropriate supply chains for that area.
	DWP is competitively neutral in letting its contracts. However, it recognises the value specialist and voluntary sector organisations can add in the delivery of welfare to work services. We actively encourage them to form partnerships and join up their expertise and financial resources to bid as a consortium to deliver our programmes directly or alternatively, market their expertise to the prime supplier as subcontractors.
	We are supporting partnership discussions using the Indus Delta website, hosted by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion (CESI), to provide a facility for potential Framework organisations and supply chain partners to make first contact with each other.
	Organisations are also encouraged to use the Merlin Web Portal:
	www.merlinstandard.co.uk
	that was launched on 25 November. This provides free support to smaller, specialist and voluntary sector providers in applying to prime providers to become part of their supply chain.

Work Programme

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to award additional prime contracts with new providers in the initial contract period of the Work programme.

Chris Grayling: We are soon to complete the Employment Related Support Services Framework which will have some providers/organisations who have not previously delivered Welfare to Work Provision for the Department.
	Successful framework providers will shortly be invited to tender for the Work programme which will roll out nationally from summer 2011. The results from this competition will not be available until May 2011.
	In addition, those organisations who are on the framework will have the opportunity to compete for further work in future competitions both for DWP, and other Government Departments.

Work Programme

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evidence he considered from previous contracts held by his Department when deciding the length of contracts under the Work programme; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Our experience has shown that longer contracts are a more commercially attractive proposition and are likely to attract wider market interest. A longer contract will also offer stability for providers enabling them to continue to invest in delivery and further increase the prospects of DWP customers entering and sustaining employment.

Working Time Directive

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department holds on the number of employees who have opted out of the provisions of the Working Time Directive.

Chris Grayling: On 30 November 2010 there were 29 employees in the Department for Work and Pensions who had opted out of the working time directive.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Public Consultation

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many consultations his Department has undertaken lasting  (a) less than six weeks,  (b) six to 12 weeks and  (c) over 12 weeks in each of the last three years.

Gregory Barker: DECC consultations follow the Government Code of Practice on consultations:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file47158.pdf
	This recommends that, under normal circumstances, consultations should last a minimum of 12 weeks but acknowledges that deviation from the code will, at times, be unavoidable when running a formal, written consultation.
	Since DECC was formed in October 2008, consultations have been run for the following periods:
	
		
			  Consultations 
			  Number 
			   12 weeks or longer  Six to 12 weeks  Less than six weeks 
			 2008 2 1 0 
			 2009 25 8 2 
			 2010 19 14 8

Electricity: Licensing

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely change in energy costs for consumers that will result from his proposals to ensure third-party access to licence-exempt electricity networks in  (a) ports,  (b) railway stations,  (c) London Underground stations,  (d) industrial estates,  (e) marinas,  (f) airports and  (g) caravan parks.

Charles Hendry: The provision of third party access to unlicensed networks will enable consumers of those networks to take advantage of the competitive energy market by choosing their energy supplier. In their 2008 Energy Supply Probe the energy regulator, Ofgem estimated that customers switching their energy supplier could make a saving of up to 6% on their energy costs.

Electricity: Licensing

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what factors he took into account in determining the length of the consultation period on the provision of third party access to licence-exempt electricity and gas networks.

Charles Hendry: DECC consultations follow the Government code of practice on consultations
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file47158.pdf
	This recommends that, under normal circumstances, consultations should last a minimum of 12 weeks but acknowledges that deviation from the code will, at times, be unavoidable when running a formal, written consultation.
	The five week consultation period on the provision of third party access to licence-exempt electricity and gas networks was determined on the basis that it was a final detailed consultation that followed both the formal 12 week consultation that set out the Government's policy intentions and a call for evidence that sought stakeholder views. It also followed an extensive stakeholder engagement programme. The details of that programme, which included a workshop and numerous bilateral meetings, can be found in my answer to PQ 27009, 6 December 2010,  Official Report, column 12W.

Energy: Heating

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many new build non-residential properties were built with ground source heat pumps in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007,  (d) 2008 and  (e) 2009.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold information on the overall number of new build non-residential properties constructed with ground source heat pumps (GSHP). These works are carried out by private contractors who have no obligation to inform the Government. Under the previous low carbon buildings programme, the following numbers of grants for ground source heat pumps for new-build non-residential properties were given between 2005 and 2009.
	
		
			  Non-residential  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			 GSHP grants 0 0 2 21 34 57 
			 GSHP grant value (total) 0 0 43,777 260,928 672,252 976,957 
			 GSHP approx capacity KW 0 0 57.5 304.6 664.5 1,026.6

Energy: Prices

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from energy providers on  (a) recent and  (b) forthcoming energy price increases.

Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers and officials meet with suppliers on a regular basis to discuss market issues. Ofgem monitors the market closely and reports quarterly on retail prices. Their latest report shows large increases in estimated supplier margins for the year ahead, largely due to recent price increases. We are disappointed on behalf of consumers by this development and welcome the announcement of Ofgem's review of the retail market.

Energy: Prices

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2010,  Official Report, column 808W, on energy: prices, 
	(1)  when he expects the Energy Intensive Industry Strategy to be completed; when he plans to make an announcement on that strategy; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what policy options he is considering for energy-intensive industries where further cost-effective abatement opportunities are not available in the short term.

Charles Hendry: All sectors of the economy need to make significant improvements in energy efficiency if we are to meet our legally binding carbon and renewables targets. Improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions-as part of our transition to a low carbon economy-will require significant investment and innovation but will also bring benefits by lowering costs, making businesses more competitive and opening new markets. The Energy Intensive Industry Strategy will examine the implications and opportunities of this transition for that sector.
	I will consider policy options once the ongoing research and analysis to support the Energy Intensive Industry Strategy has been completed.
	The coalition Government plan to publish their findings in the spring.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had on electricity price rises attributable to his proposals for electricity market reform with representatives of energy companies.

Charles Hendry: The Secretary of State has regular meetings with energy companies during the course of his normal departmental and parliamentary business.
	Before the consultation on Electricity Market Reform was published on 16 December 2010 it was not possible to have any detailed discussions about the impact of policy proposals on electricity prices as the details of these policy proposals were not public. However, during the consultation period and in the period up to the White Paper in 2011 the Secretary of State will have discussions with energy companies and a wide range of others about the electricity market reform proposals, including issues related to prices and measures to reduce energy consumption.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the effects on each decile of the population by income of the average change in electricity bills attributable to his proposals for electricity market reform in each of the next five years.

Charles Hendry: On 16 December 2010, Government launched consultations on a package of options for reforming the electricity market. The preferred package is to have a feed-in-tariff with a 'contract for difference' model for supporting low-carbon generation in combination with a targeted capacity mechanism, carbon price support and an emissions performance standard.
	The impact assessment accompanying the consultation provides insights into the affordability of the reform options for different households by looking at the increase in the electricity bill for 2020 as a percentage of total household expenditure (when compared to a baseline absent the reforms). This analysis for 2020 in relation to the preferred package of reforms is presented in the following table along with additional estimates for 2013 and 2016. Estimates for other years are not available. The table shows for example, the bottom income decile in 2013 will spend an extra 0.03% of its expenditure on electricity as a result of the proposed reforms.
	
		
			   Impact of preferred reform options on electricity spending as a percentage share of total expenditure 
			  Income decile  2013  2016  2020 
			 Bottom 0.03 0.18 0.09 
			 2 0.03 0.18 0.09 
			 3 0.02 0.13 0.06 
			 4 0.02 0.11 0.05 
			 5 0.02 0.10 0.05 
			 6 0.01 0.08 0.04 
			 7 0.01 0.07 0.03 
			 8 0.01 0.06 0.03 
			 9 0.01 0.05 0.03 
			 Top 0.01 0.04 0.02 
		
	
	Although the proposed reforms may cause a small increase in electricity bills in the short term, by 2030 electricity bills are expected to be lower than they otherwise would be (in the absence of the reforms).

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the recommendations of the Committee on Climate Change on targets for greenhouse gas emissions in 2030, what account his Department is taking of the effect of long-term energy facilities including incinerators on the level of emissions arising from the UK grid in 2030.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 21 December 2010
	The Department is considering the recommendations of the Committee on Climate Change in its report on the Fourth Carbon Budget and will shortly be responding formally.

Heating: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many new residential properties were built with ground source heat pumps in each year since 2005.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold information on the overall number of ground-source heat pumps (GSHP) fitted to new-build residential properties. These works are carried out by private contractors who have no obligation to inform the Government.
	Under the previous Government grant programme (low carbon buildings programme), the following shows the numbers of ground-source heat pumps grants awarded for new-build residential properties between 2005 and 2009.
	
		
			  GSHP 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			 Number of grants 0 0 10 98 148 256 
			 Value of grants (£) 0 0 12,000 106,602 176,489 295,091

North East

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which Ministers in his Department have visited the North East since their appointment.

Gregory Barker: My hon. Friend the Minister of State (Charles Hendry) visited the North East in December 2010. This was part of a regional programme, which included visiting the Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station's control room training simulator site, meeting staff undergoing re-training.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Tamworth of 16 December 2010,  Official Report, column 1039, on nuclear power stations, what the names are of each of his contacts around the City who have indicated that there certainly is an appetite to invest in new nuclear plant.

Charles Hendry: It would not be appropriate for the Department to provide names of individuals who have offered their views on this subject in a personal capacity. However, the fact that energy companies have announced plans to build up to 16 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear in the UK demonstrates that they see a future for new nuclear generation in the UK and are willing to make significant investment to make this happen.

Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's consultation on revised funded decommissioning programme guidance for new nuclear power stations, if he will take steps to recover from  (a) NNB GenCo,  (b) Horizon Nuclear Power and  (c) NuGeneration Ltd the expenditure from the public purse since 1973 on payments to (i) (A) the International Atomic Energy Agency and (B) Euratom and the Joint Research Centres for research on nuclear waste, (ii) NIREX and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for research and development on nuclear waste and (iii) the UK Atomic Energy Authority and British Nuclear Fuels for research, development, demonstration and deployment of technologies and materials used for nuclear waste management in proportion to the proposed use by those companies of the technological advances in nuclear waste management so funded from the public purse.

Charles Hendry: The UK has a legacy of nuclear waste from the UK's public sector nuclear programme which has accumulated over the last fifty years or which is already committed. The costs identified in this question have been incurred in relation to the management of this legacy waste. In line with the polluter pays principle, it is not appropriate for operators of new nuclear power stations to pay towards the historic costs of managing this legacy waste.
	As set out in the "Consultation on revised Funded Decommissioning Programme (FDP) Guidance for New Nuclear Power Stations", published on 7 December 2010, the Government's objective is to ensure that operators of new nuclear power stations make prudent provision for their full share of the costs of safely and securely managing and disposing of their waste. The draft FDP Guidance and the "Consultation on an updated Waste Transfer Pricing Methodology for the disposal of higher activity waste from new nuclear power stations", also published on 7 December 2010, provide more detail on those costs for which a new build operator will be responsible. In summary, an operator's full share of waste management and disposal costs is considered to be: the cost of managing their waste pending disposal; the costs that are directly attributable to disposing of their waste in a geological disposal facility (GDF); a contribution towards the fixed costs of constructing a GDF; and an additional element or elements to reflect any financial risks being taken on by the Government in agreeing to title to and liability for the operator's waste.

Nuclear Power: Subsidies

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's consultation documents on electricity market reform published on 16 December 2010, which types of financial support or incentivisation he regards as subsidies to the nuclear industry; and what criteria he uses to decide whether a financial incentive is a subsidy.

Charles Hendry: The Secretary of State set out the Government's policy that there will be no subsidy for new nuclear power in a written statement on 18 October 2010,  Official Report, column 44WS.
	This statement makes clear that:
	"there will be no levy, direct payment or market support for electricity supplied or capacity provided by a private sector new nuclear operator, unless similar support is also made available more widely to other types of generation. New nuclear power will, for example, benefit from any general measures that are in place or may be introduced as part of wider reform of the electricity market to encourage investment in low-carbon generation".
	I can confirm that the position as described in the recently published consultation documentation on electricity market reform is consistent with this policy.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to implementing the proposals in the European Commission Communication: Facing the challenge of the safety of offshore oil and gas activities, SEC(2010) 1193, with particular reference to section 3, page 10, that until complete results are available from the investigation into the causes of the Deepwater Horizon accident, additional caution should be applied both to ongoing exploration and to new operations and that where extreme climate, high pressure/high temperature reservoirs, deep water or particularly sensitive natural environments are involved, this would warrant extra care and a temporary suspension of future operations.

Charles Hendry: In the section to which the hon. Member refers, the European Commission asks member states to review all complex oil and gas exploration operations to ensure best practice is applied, while adopting a precautionary approach. The Communication text does not however state that
	"this would warrant extra care and a temporary suspension of future operations".
	DECC and the Health and Safety Executive have already reviewed such complex operations, and ensure best practice is adopted. DECC/HSE will not allow any offshore operation to begin until they are assured that all risks have been assessed and appropriate controls are in place. DECC/HSE will inspect operations to ensure good practice is then followed, when it is not, it will take appropriate action, which can include stopping these operations.

Oil: North Sea

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department received from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in respect of the accident on 23 December 2009 involving an uncontrolled release of hydrocarbons from Sedco 711 oil recovery platform in the North Sea; what lessons have been learned about the vulnerabilities of flow control valves; and if he will place  (a) in the Library and  (b) on his Department's website a copy of the report on the accident made by Shell to the HSE.

Charles Hendry: In accordance with the legislative requirements, my Department and the Health and Safety Executive were formally notified of the incident involving the Sedco 711 on 23 December 2009. DECC's investigations confirmed that there was no likelihood of environmental damage from this incident.
	I am advised that the Health and Safety Executive's investigation into this incident confirmed that flow control valves can fail and that such risks should be identified and mitigated within well construction programmes. HSE will continue to monitor that such issues are addressed when it inspects well notifications and well construction activities. I am advised that HSE did not request a copy of Shell's internal report on this incident.

Renewable Energy

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many new non-residential properties had solar panels included in their construction in each year since 2005.

Charles Hendry: The Department does not hold information on the overall number of new build non-residential properties constructed with solar panels. These works are carried out by private contractors who have no obligation to inform the Government.
	Under the previous low carbon buildings programme, the following numbers of solar photovoltaic panels projects for new-build non-residential properties were supported between 2005 and 2009. Figures for 2010 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Number of grants 
			  Non-residential  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  Total 
			 Solar PV 0 0 1 36 91 n/a 128 
			 Solar Thermal 0 0 0 14 33 n/a 47 
			 Total 0 0 1 50 124 n/a 175 
		
	
	
		
			  Value of grants (£) 
			  Non-residential  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  Total 
			 Solar PV 0 0 6,121 745,938 2,455,179 n/a 3,207,238 
			 Solar Thermal 0 0 0 99,566 671,675 n/a 771,241 
			 Total 0 0 6,121 845,504 3,126,854 n/a 3,978,479 
		
	
	
		
			  Approximate capacity (KW) 
			  Non-residential  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010  Total 
			 Solar PV KW 0 0 750 27,505 72,472 n/a 100,727 
			 Solar Thermal KW 0 0 0 189 687 n/a 876 
			 Total 0 0 750 27,694 73,159 0 101,603

Solar Power

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many solar panels were retro-fitted to existing properties in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007,  (d) 2008 and  (e) 2009.

Charles Hendry: The Department does not hold information on the overall number of solar panels retro-fitted to existing buildings. These works are carried out by private contractors who have no obligation to inform the Government.
	Under the previous Government grant programme (low carbon buildings programme), the following shows the numbers of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal grants awarded for existing properties between 2005 and 2009.
	
		
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  Total 
			  Number of grants   
			 Solar Pv 0 87 528 767 1,549 2,931 
			 Solar thermal 0 662 1,644 1,567 2,135 6,008 
			 Total 0 749 2,172 2,334 3,684 8,939 
			
			  Value of grants   
			 Solar Pv 0 613,676 3,597,323 4,771,713 8,579,290 17,562,002 
			 Solar thermal 0 264,800 668,069 728,714 1,648,324 3,309,907 
			 Total 0 878,476 4,265,392 5,500,427 10,227,614 20,871,909

Solar Power

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of residential properties which have solar panels.

Charles Hendry: The Department does not hold information on the proportion of residential properties which have solar panels. These works are carried out by private contractors who have no obligation to inform the Government.
	The Government are currently supporting installation of solar photovoltaic panels through the Feed In-tariff (FIT). The number of domestic installations, as at 3 December 2010, accredited for FITs are as follows:
	
		
			  Technology  Domestic installations  Domestic installations installed capacity (MW) 
			 Solar photovoltaic installations 15,101 37.685

Welsh language

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department last published a Welsh language scheme in accordance with the provisions of the Welsh Language Act 1993; and at which web addresses such schemes can be accessed in  (a) Welsh and  (b) English.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is currently developing a Welsh Language Scheme in close cooperation with the Welsh Language Board. We expect to publicly consult on our draft scheme early in the new year. Following the consultation and the agreement of the Welsh Language Board, the scheme will be available on the DECC website in Welsh and English with an expected publication date this spring.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adult Learning: Finance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what budgetary changes he expects to arise from implementation of his plans to reform adult community learning; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to PQs 2566, 2567 and 2574. As set out in 'Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth', published on 16 November 2010, the budget for informal adult and community learning will remain at £210 million for 2011-12 and the same indicative budget for 2012-13. It will continue to be a priority as we finalise the allocations for future years.

Apprentices: EC Countries

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has plans to identify best practice in respect of apprenticeship schemes in other European countries.

John Hayes: Important lessons can be learnt from the way apprenticeships are delivered in other countries in Europe and further afield. However, we must not make the mistake of assuming that we can simply replicate other national systems.
	The Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network, supported by this Department, together with the London School of Economics, has recently published a report on the State of Apprenticeships in 2010, where international comparisons with many leading European countries, including Germany, France and Sweden, have been researched-this report is freely available at:
	http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/special/cepsp22.pdf
	BIS officials are currently working with organisations such as the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) and German Industry UK to explore what lessons might be learned from apprenticeships in other countries. The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) are also part of the International Network for Apprenticeship best practise (INAP) and contribute to and attend events designed to explore the differences between the English and continental apprenticeships systems. For example in January, NAS will be meeting with colleagues from Germany to look at comparisons in the retail and engineering sectors, and in February NAS are hosting a conference for apprenticeship experts from leading international countries.
	More widely, Professor Alison Wolf is looking at the organisation of vocational education for young people, including apprentices, and its responsiveness to a changing labour market, this will take explicit account of good practice in a selection of developed economies such as France, Denmark and Germany.

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what grants have been awarded by his Department in 2010-11 to date; what grants he plans to award in each of the next two years; what the monetary value is of each such grant; and to which organisations such grants are made.

Edward Davey: holding answer 18 November 2010
	The Department does not keep a central record of grant awards and the collation of the information could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost. From 12 May 2010, grant payments and recipients have been published on the BIS website
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/data/financial
	Details of grant payments that will be made in the next two years will be published retrospectively. The Department is currently undertaking an internal allocation exercise to determine detailed allocations for 2011-12 and 2012-13 and does not yet have a forecast for grant payments for the next two financial years.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) steps he is taking to encourage small businesses to bid for contracts let by his Department and  (b) recent guidance he has provided to small businesses on bidding for such contracts.

Mark Prisk: On 1 November the Minister for the Cabinet Office announced a package of measures to make government procurement easier for SMEs and voluntary sector organisations by simplifying the procurement process and making opportunities more accessible. These measures include (i) the introduction of a simpler standardised pre-qualification questionnaire across central Government from 1 December 2010, (ii) an investigation of red tape and the causes of delay in the procurement process and (iii) a free facility from March 2011 for small businesses to find public sector procurement, and subcontracting, opportunities in a single place online and free of charge-the "Contracts Finder" system.
	Additionally, to support SMEs bidding for public sector contracts, raise their capability and work with public procures, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills provides a free online training course-'Winning the Contract'. Registration for this free course can be made at
	www.learndirect-business.com
	We are consulting further on facilitating small business access to public procurement. On 1 December 2010, the No. 10 website launched a forum on for SMEs to collect their views on public procurement.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with voluntary and community groups on bidding for contracts let by his Department.

Mark Prisk: This Department is supporting the Cabinet Office consultation with charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises consultation on how Government can create a level playing field for bidding for Government contracts. On 7 December 2010 the Cabinet Office published a Modernising Commissioning Green Paper. The consultation closed on 5 January 2011 and the results will feed into a Public Service Reform White Paper to be published shortly.
	Additionally, BIS officials have been working with the Cabinet Office on a Civil Society Red Tape Taskforce, led by my noble Friend Lord Hodgson, which will be making recommendations as to how to reduce the bureaucratic burden on small organisations, particularly in the charitable, voluntary and social enterprise sectors. The taskforce will produce recommendations for Ministers in spring 2011.

Departmental Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills from which external  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations his Department has sought scientific advice since 1 August 2010.

David Willetts: We do not hold central records of requests for scientific advice. The Department aims to ensure the best available evidence informs its activity at all stages of policy development, implementation and review. Most day-to-day stakeholder engagement on specific policy areas is led by policy officials. The Department's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Brian Collins, maintains strategic oversight of the scientific, engineering and technical evidence and advice that informs policy development and can help policy teams identify gaps and opportunities for engagement with individuals and organisations with relevant expertise. A central stakeholder engagement team is responsible for ensuring that BIS adopts a well co-ordinated approach to engaging with BIS stakeholders more generally.
	As the Department responsible for the UK research base, promoting science and innovation, and fostering world-class universities, we receive advice from our delivery partners all the time, including Research Councils, the Technology Strategy Board and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. We also seek and receive advice from the national academies, a broad range of learned societies and from individuals within the academic community who have expertise relevant to the Department's activities.

Departmental Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure science and engineering evidence contribute to his Department's  (a) strategy and  (b) policy development.

David Willetts: BIS has a strong commitment to evidence-based policy making and aims to build a culture where science and engineering evidence and analysis are recognised as a vital part of an integrated approach to strategy, policy development and decision making.
	The Department's chief scientific adviser (CSA), Professor Brian Collins, is responsible for ensuring that the Department's scientific and engineering activities are well directed and that policy development is informed by the best available evidence. This is achieved by working with heads of profession and heads of management units to ensure the Department has access to high quality, relevant science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) advice and expertise, and uses this to inform policy development and implementation. Where necessary the CSA will challenge the scientific and engineering content and quality of evidence and advice underpinning BIS policies.
	The CSA is a member of the policy and programme board (the team of senior officials advising Ministers on major policy issues and programmes) and has regular discussions with senior colleagues to identify priority policy areas where he can have most impact. The CSA is currently exploring ways of capturing and better using the existing science and engineering skills and expertise of staff within the Department.
	To ensure an integrated approach to analysis, the CSA works closely with the chief economist and other senior analysts. Science and engineering is included in the BIS research strategy alongside economic and social research.

EU Law

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what weight he gives to the views of  (a) non-governmental organisations,  (b) unions,  (c) business and  (d) other interested parties in consultations on EU regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: When consulting on the transposition of EU directives in the UK, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills follows the Code of Practice on Consultation published by the Better Regulation Executive in July 2008.
	Criterion 6 of the code-Responsiveness of consultation exercises-states:
	6.1 All responses (both written responses and those fed through other channels such as discussion forums and public meetings) should be analysed carefully, using the expertise, experiences and views of respondents to develop more effective and efficient policy. The focus should be on the evidence given by consultees to back up their arguments. Analysing consultation responses is primarily a qualitative rather than a quantitative exercise.
	The Code of Practice on Consultation can be found at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file47158.pdf

Export Controls: USA

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the export of potassium chloride and pancuronium bromide by British companies for use in executions in the United States; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The export of potassium chloride and pancuronium bromide is not currently subject to UK export controls. Following recent allegations that British companies may have supplied these drugs to the United States for use in executions, my right hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, is currently considering the merits of imposing a form of export control in relation to these drugs.
	The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. The Government will continue to raise the death penalty with the United States at all appropriate opportunities.

Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time equivalent staff are employed in the office of the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government.

David Willetts: The Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Sir John Beddington, is supported by the Government Office for Science (GO-Science), a semi-autonomous unit housed within BIS.
	At December 2010, 72.3 full-time equivalent staff were working in GO-Science.

Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has allocated to the office of the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government in each of the last three years.

David Willetts: The Government chief scientific adviser, Professor Sir John Beddington, is supported by the Government Office for Science, a semi-autonomous unit housed within BIS and funded from the BIS vote.
	The amount allocated to GO-Science for administration costs in the financial year 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 were £5,261,000, £5,591,000 and £4,811,000 respectively.
	The amount allocated for programme costs in the same years were £2,800,000, £2,900,000 and £2,800,000 respectively.

Innovation Centres: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the annual running costs of innovation centres supported by regional development agencies were in each of the last three years.

David Willetts: The regional development agencies (RDAs) do not hold the information being requested. This information is not readily available and would require contacting third parties, many of which would be private sector, to obtain the running cost details. Therefore, the RDAs are not in a position to provide a response as to do so would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £800.

Innovation Centres: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding was given to each innovation centre supported by regional development agencies in each of the last five years.

David Willetts: The following table provides the total capital spend on innovation for each RDA over the last five financial years and includes both Single Programme and European regional development fund (ERDF) funding.
	
		
			  RDA  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 AWM 8,445,567 4,728,259 8,337,956 7,549,425 13,857,583 
			 EEDA 20,708,000 10,605,000 7,670,000 11,621,000 11,439,000 
			 EMDA 9,015,000 10,578,000 15,674,000 6,800,000 8,246,000 
			 LDA 4,667,898 2,516,684 3,200,000 2,836,928 165,000 
			 NWDA 7,977,452 15,187,542 9,285,543 11,988,715 6,848,070 
			 ONE 27,164,392 20,726,236 17,311,528 6,787,850 (1)30,211,146 
			 SEEDA 4,771,214 1,931,468 2,574,603 4,672,026 3,710,901 
			 SWRDA 1,366,214 7,286,955 9,125,466 10,841,013 24,396,064 
			 YF 26,503,032 16,322,065 27,325,790 14,098,532 6,263,266 
			 (1) Includes funding from Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) totalling £10,361,368.

Ofcom

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in respect of which consultations conducted by Ofcom deadline extensions were granted to some parties.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 21 December 2010
	Ofcom does not hold this information centrally, and it could be produced only at disproportionate cost. Ofcom have indicated that they would be prepared to discuss this matter with my hon. Friend directly.

Ofcom: Opinion Leader Research

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely total cost to his Department of Opinion Leader Research's review of relay services on behalf of Ofcom.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 20 December 2010
	The Opinion Leader research is funded by Ofcom. There is no direct cost to either the Department for Business Innovation and Skills or the Department for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport for this work.

Ofcom: Opinion Leader Research

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much Ofcom expects to pay Opinion Leader Research for the conduct of the second consultation to be launched in March 2011 undertaken as part of the review of relay services.

Edward Vaizey: This is an operational matter for Ofcom.

Ofcom: Text Relay Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he expects the review of text relay services by Ofcom to be linked to the implementation by his Department of the revised EU electronic communications framework.

Edward Vaizey: This Department has recently undertaken a substantial consultation exercise on implementing revisions to the EU's Electronic Communications Framework. The deadline for implementation is 25 May 2011. We are also working very closely with the regulator, Ofcom, on implementation of the necessary revisions, some of which will be achieved through changes to Ofcom's General Conditions.
	Among those changes mandated by Europe is a requirement that member states enable national regulators to ensure that disabled end-users have access to electronic communications services equivalent to that enjoyed by the majority of users. This extends an existing reference to equivalence in the Universal Service Order, and we intend to implement this provision through a change to Ofcom's general conditions.
	This change will enable Ofcom to further consider issues of equivalence, but such consideration would need to be subject to research, cost benefit analysis, a proportionality test and a public consultation.

STEM Assurance Scheme

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his future plans are for the STEM Assurance Scheme.

David Willetts: The STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Assurance Scheme is designed to encourage early engagement by policy teams with STEM issues, both in terms of the evidence they may call upon and also the technical assumptions upon which implementation of the policy depends. The scheme is light touch and overseen by the Department's Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA), Professor Brian Collins. The scheme has been piloted during 2009-10 and is now being rolled out across the Department. All BIS policies are examined carefully and if they have a STEM content they will be subject to scrutiny under the scheme either by the CSA and internal experts through local assurance panels or by calling in external expertise.
	Policy makers in BIS have welcomed the scheme as ensuring that policies to stimulate the UK economy are underpinned by robust scientific, technological and engineering evidence.

Students: Finance

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on its ability to set its own income threshold for Scottish students borrowing with the Student Loan Company.

David Willetts: I have had a recent discussion with the Scottish Government and another is planned for the new year on income thresholds.

Students: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the variations in the real interest rate to be charged on student loans for graduates earning between £21,000 and £41,000 will be following the implementation of his proposed reform of student finance; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The interest rate will be graduated, starting at RPI for those earning £21,000 up to a maximum of RPI + 3% for those earning £41,000 and above. The formula for the graduation of interest rates is being developed and will be announced in due course.

Students: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what responsibility  (a) HM Revenue and Customs and  (b) the Student Loans Company will have for (i) applying the annual uprated earnings threshold and (ii) calculating the repayments to be made by graduates following the implementation of his proposed reform of student finance; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Working together with my Department, HMRC will amend the threshold to reflect the annual increase and the subsequent calculation under PAYE for employers to make the correct student loan deduction. The Student Loans Company will be notified of the deductions and use this information to update borrowers accounts, apply interest and produce statements.

Students: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of mature students graduating in each year of the comprehensive spending review period who will never repay the full value of loans taken out  (a) under the existing system for student finance and  (b) under his proposed reform of student finance; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: A student beginning a regular three-year degree in 2012-13 on the new system will graduate in June 2015 which is after the end of the current spending review period so there will not be a cohort of students on the new system who will graduate during the current spending review.
	For current system students we estimate that around a third of mature students studying full-time will have some of their loan written off. Our estimate for the whole full-time population is around 15%.
	For students under the new system, we estimate that around two thirds of mature students studying full-time will have some of their loan written off. Our estimate for the whole full-time population is between 50% and 60%.

Students: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the likely change in the average level of household debt attributable to the implementation of his proposed reform of student finance in the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Department does not hold this information. The proposed reform of student finance ensures that no student will face up-front costs for HE tuition. All full-time students will continue to be eligible, and all part-time students studying at a minimum intensity of 25%, will become eligible, for loans to cover costs of tuition. Graduates will benefit from a more progressive repayment structure in the proposed reforms, including that they will not have to start repaying until they are earning £21,000.

Students: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the effect on the number of students who enter higher education of a tuition fee of  (a) £7,000,  (b) £8,000 and  (c) £9,000 per annum; and what estimate he has made of the effect on the public purse of the implementation of such fees.

David Willetts: The Department commissioned research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies to support the Browne Review which explored how changes in fees, grants and loans impact on participation. That research, which analysed the 2006-07 HE indicated that participation would tend to be lower with higher fees (by 4.4 percentage points for an increase in £1,000) but that this was offset by increases in loans and grants package (3.2ppt and 2.1ppt increases).
	The underlying cost to government of student support loans was taken into account in the Department's spending review settlement, announced in October 2010.

Students: Finance

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of higher fees on the duration of university courses which currently last four years.

David Willetts: The duration of university courses is a matter for institutions taking into account the complexity and content of the subjects delivered and demand from students. The new funding regime is designed to move from a situation where the bulk of funding is via direct grants to one based on the informed choices of students. Students will want to take into account course length and content, the quality of their experience at university and their employment prospects on graduation in deciding which courses to apply for, in addition to the fees being charged. Students will benefit from a fairer and more progressive system of graduate contributions and so we do not expect a particular impact on four year courses where there is a clear rationale for the length of study. Overall, however, we would expect innovative approaches to teaching, such as compressed degrees.

Students: Loans

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had discussions with the Student Loans Company on excess repayments.

David Willetts: I meet regularly with the Student Loans Company (SLC) to discuss a range of issues.
	Since December 2009, in order to reduce the number of those who over-repay, borrowers nearing the end of their loan repayment term are notified by the SLC that they may opt out of the PAYE system, and complete their loan repayments by direct debit. Additionally, borrowers are advised to monitor their own repayments so they can calculate when they are likely to repay their loan in full.

Students: Loans

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students are waiting for overdue loan payments to be made; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: By the start of term, the Student Loans Company (SLC) had paid 99.3% of all eligible applications that had been received with the right documentation before the relevant applications deadlines, the last of which was at the end of June 2010.
	By 14 October 2010, the latest date for which official figures are available, the SLC had prepared for payment 606,000 applications for financial support from new and continuing students in England for the academic year 2010/11. The following table provides details of the payment status of these applications at 14 October 2010.
	
		
			  Status  Number of applications for academic year 2010/11 
			 Applications prepared for payment: 606,000 
			 of which first payment made; 521,000 
			 of which no payment due as there is no maintenance support entitlement (for example, if only tuition fee support had been applied for as this is paid directly to the university or college); 44,000 
			 of which no payment due as confirmation of attendance from the institution had not yet been received; 35,000 
			 of which attendance confirmed and first payment will be made at term start date or is currently being processed through the banking system; 6,000 
			 of which attendance confirmed but first payment withheld, for example while bank details were confirmed or National Insurance Number was validated before payment could be released. 10,000

Students: Loans

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what average period elapsed between the end of the financial year and the issue by the Student Loans Company of loan statements to its customers in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010.

David Willetts: The average time taken by the Student Loans Company (SLC) to issue loan account statements to customers in 2008, 2009 and 2010 is provided in the following table. Statements for the current tax year will be issued after April 2011.
	The SLC issues loans account statements once it has received repayment information from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC in turn receive the relevant repayment information from employers when they submit their annual tax returns. The earliest that the company will receive repayment information on loan accounts is in May following the end of a tax year, with the bulk of repayment files received between May and September.
	
		
			   Average time taken to issue loan account statements to customers 
			 2008 (in respect of the 2007/08 tax year) 4.2 months 
			 2009 (in respect of the 2008/09 tax year) 4.1 months 
			 2010 (in respect of the 2009/10 tax year) 2 months

Telecommunications: Hearing Impairment

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to ensure that his policy on the provision of telecommunications services to British Sign Language users takes full account of emerging technologies; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 20 December 2010
	 Government are working with industry and the third sector through the eAccessibility forum to produce and implement an eAccessibility action plan that will address the issues faced by those suffering hearing loss when trying to use or access digital equipment and services so that they can partake fully in UK digital economy. The forum will also investigate issues around Inclusive design process-making sure businesses improve their design of products and services to include everyone. It will also investigate issues around assistive technologies, making sure people can identify what is available on the market at a reasonable cost. In addition, the forum will consider creating a one stop shop for accessible information.
	A copy of the plan can be found at
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/news/speeches/ed-vaizey-e-accessibility-action-plan

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to implement its obligations arising from the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in respect of  (a) Article 24 on Education,  (b) Article 27 on Work and Employment and  (c) other articles of that Convention.

John Hayes: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) overall mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy by creating the conditions for business success; promoting innovation, enterprise and science; and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to succeed. The work of BIS must reflect this. We are therefore wholly committed to the obligations set out within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to improving outcomes for disabled people.
	BIS will contribute to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Report in 2011, setting out what the Department is doing to meet our obligations and how implementation is being achieved.
	A number of strategies and programmes already exist and/or are being taken forward by BIS which serve to support the various rights and freedoms set out in the numerous Convention Articles, examples from across our sectors include:
	The Skills Investment Strategy 2010-11 sets out how we will continue to support provision which meets particular equality needs-for example investing in further education and skills training for learners with difficulties and/or disabilities remains a priority, and in the UK we have a continuing commitment to be inclusive and equitable by maintaining opportunities for all learners.
	Next Step provides a universal offer of information and advice about learning, work and careers for all those in and out of employment in England. It has been fully operational from August 2010. Next Step provides targeted support-by phone, online or face-to-face-to those with specific barriers to getting into and on in work, including overcoming wider obstacles to progress, such as employment rights, health, transport, personal finance issues, child care and financial support for learners. BIS is ensuring that the service is well placed to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities, and specialist support is available to help people with the full range of disabilities.
	Work is ongoing to implement the Diversity in Apprenticeships pilots with the Department for Education to increase the critical mass of learners in non-traditional occupations.
	In England, disabled students in higher education (HE) are supported by the Government via the institution they attend and individually through disabled students' allowances which are available to help students in HE with the extra costs they may incur on their course because of a disability (including an ongoing health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia).
	BIS is helping businesses and individuals to prepare for and deliver a successful 2012 games; and that as a result of the games there are businesses better able to deliver other major sporting, cultural and entertainment events. Further to encourage businesses to become more accessible the BIS and the UK Office for Disability Issues commissioned a report "2012 Legacy for Disabled People: Inclusive and Accessible Business" setting out the opportunities that disabled customers bring. The initiative focused on improving the way businesses engage with disabled customers.
	As part of its work to promote STEM careers, the BIS and Department for Education funded STEMNET works to ensure equality of access for all, including those covered by disability legislation. While the duty to ensure wide access falls principally to schools, STEM ambassadors and others design and support activities and enrichment material in a way that allows young disabled people to fully appreciate how science can be a part of their lives and careers.
	The work of BIS is also supported by a programme on implementing the requirements and provisions in the most recent equality legislation in the UK, the Equality Act 2010.
	More detailed information about BIS and its contribution to supporting the rights and freedoms of people with disabilities will be available in the UK Report to the UN Disability Committee when it is published in the summer of 2011, co-ordinated by the Office of Disability Issues.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Society Groups

Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance he plans to provide to civil society groups who wish to engage with the Government's proposals to increase the participation of civil society in public service provision.

Nick Hurd: The Government have just published a Green Paper, "Modernising Commissioning: Increasing the role of charities, social enterprises, mutuals and cooperatives in public service delivery", which seeks comments, by 5 January 2011, from civil society organisations on how the commissioning process for public services can be improved. Feedback from this consultation will both inform the wider Public Services Reform White Paper, to be published early in the new year, and our plans for whether more guidance to civil society groups is required.

Constituencies

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information he has received from local authorities in each parliamentary constituency on the size of the electorate for parliamentary elections recorded on the registers submitted to his Department on 1 December 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what information I have received from local authorities in each parliamentary constituency on the size of the electorate for parliamentary elections recorded on the registers submitted to the Department on 1 December 2010 (32797).
	ONS have received information from approximately 75 per cent of local authorities in England and Wales on the number of people within parliamentary constituencies who are registered to vote in parliamentary elections. The data refer to the number of people who would have been entitled to vote if an election had been held on 1 Dec 2010 and is based on the qualifying date of 15 October 2010. The data include information on the number of people registered to vote who were:
	1) resident within the parliamentary constituency on the qualifying date,
	2) service voters,
	3) crown servants,
	4) voluntary patients,
	5) overseas electors, and
	6) had no permanent address.
	The data also include the number of registered people who will attain the age of 18 during the currency of the register, and who are entitled to vote at an election on or after their eighteenth birthday.
	ONS intend to publish electoral statistics for December 2010, for all parliamentary constituencies, on 23 February 2011.

Departmental Pay

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff employed by the Prime Minister's Office were not paid at a rate equivalent to or above the London living wage in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The Prime Minister's Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. Staff employed by the Cabinet Office on London pay bands are paid at a rate above the London living wage.
	Details of Cabinet Office pay bands are published in the Cabinet Office organogram at the following address:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/Cabinet-Office_0.pdf

Departmental Pay

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff employed by his Department were not paid at a rate equivalent to or above the London living wage in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The Prime Minister's Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. Staff employed by the Cabinet Office on London pay bands are paid at a rate above the London living wage.
	Details of Cabinet Office pay bands are published in the Cabinet Office organogram at the following address:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/Cabinet-Office_0.pdf

Departmental Press Releases

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the Cabinet Office has provided embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010; in respect of how many such briefings the Cabinet Office was informed that the embargo had been breached; what steps were taken as a result of each such breach; and on how many occasions the Cabinet Office has provided media briefings without an embargo prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office press office, which supports the Minister for the Cabinet Office, does not keep records of the number of embargoed briefings.
	The Cabinet Office follows the ministerial code and ensures all important policy announcements are made in the house not the media.

Departmental Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible have taken to comply with the Guidance of the Office of Government Commerce on promoting skills through public procurement issued in 2009.

Francis Maude: The primary purpose of Government procurement is to buy the goods and services the Government needs in a way that achieves the best value for money.
	Decisions on the inclusion of skills and apprenticeships requirements in procurement have to be taken on a case-by-case basis, driven by the imperative of optimising value for money.
	Within the Cabinet Office family, the principles set out in the guidance, "Promoting skills through public procurement" have been applied to the Buying Solutions Facilities Management framework and the Cabinet Office pan-government framework agreements for grant fund management services.

Departmental Sponsorship

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what expenditure  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies incurred on sponsorship in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.

Electronic Government

Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to ensure that electronic and postal contact information for  (a) Government Departments and  (b) Ministers is easily accessible on Government websites.

Nick Hurd: Departments and other public bodies determine what information they publish, including that of contact details for their Ministers.
	Electronic, postal, and telephone contact information for Ministers and their Departments is published on the Cabinet Office website in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/lmr100701.pdf
	Directgov includes a directory:
	http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/A-ZOfCentral Government/index.htm
	that contains information about central Government Departments, Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies including electronic and postal contact information.

Government Departments: Work Experience

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many internship opportunities for black, Asian and minority ethnic applicants have been  (a) advertised and  (b) undertaken in each central government department in the last 12 months.

Francis Maude: The Fast Stream Summer Development Programme for ethnic minorities offers internships to black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) applicants. The programme does not specify the number of opportunities. Internships undertaken through this programme in the last 12 months are listed as follows:
	
		
			  Department  Number 
			 Cabinet Office 2 
			 Communities and Local Government 8 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 2 
			 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 3 
			 Department for Education 5 
			 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 3 
			 Department for Transport 7 
			 Department for Work and Pensions 8 
			 Department of Health 1 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 5 
			 HM Treasury 6 
			 Home Office 21 
			 House of Commons 1 
			 Ministry of Defence 3 
			 Ministry of Justice 4 
			 Scottish Executive 1 
			 Welsh Assembly 1 
			   
			 Total 81 
		
	
	In addition, the Home Office, DWP, BIS and the Welsh Assembly Government have offered internships to people from BAME backgrounds in the last 12 months through the Windsor Fellowship-a leadership programme for ethnic minority undergraduates. There are currently 16 interns across government.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office runs a Partner University Placement Scheme (PUPS) which attracts high calibre students who are either female, from a BAME background or receiving the full maintenance grant. In the past 12 months, five students from a BAME background took up a place on the programme from 19 vacancies.
	The above schemes are all paid internships.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry: Public Appointments

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's policy manual containing the managed move policy applied to its human resource activities; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 14 December 2010
	The Cabinet Office managed move policy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Tottenham

David Lammy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the claimant  (a) count and  (b) rate is in (i) Tottenham constituency and (ii) the Northumberland Park Ward.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the claimant (a) count and (b) rate is in (i) Tottenham constituency and (ii) the Northumberland Park Ward. (32045)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
	The number of claimants of JSA in the Tottenham constituency in November 2010 was 6,038 which represented 7.7% of the population aged 16-64 years. The number of claimants of JSA in the Northumberland Park Ward in November 2010 was 971 which represented 11.0% of the population aged 16-64 years.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Legal Services Commission: Procurement

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance documents were provided by the Office of Government Commerce to the Legal Services Commission in respect of its 2010 tenders in 2008-09; and  (a) when and  (b) by what means each document was provided.

Nick Hurd: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Djanogly) of 16 November 2010,  Official Report, column 667W. LSC did not seek or receive specific guidance from OGC.
	Advice on public sector procurement is available on the internet which can be used by any Government Department at:
	www.ogc.gov.uk/
	and
	www.buyingsolutions.gov.uk

North East

Alan Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which Ministers of his Department have visited the North East since their appointment; and what the  (a) date and  (b) purpose was of each such visit.

Francis Maude: No Cabinet Office Ministers have visited the north-east since their appointment.

Poverty: Children

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of children in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley who live in a workless household.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many children were living in workless households in a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and b) the London borough of Bexley. 32461.
	The requested information is not available. Due to the specific detail of the request, it is not possible to provide estimates for either the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency or the London borough of Bexley because of insufficient sample sizes.

Private Sector: Conditions of Employment

Tony Baldry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether employees transferring from the public to the private or voluntary sectors will be covered by TUPE regulations after the removal of the two-tier code.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 20 December 2010
	Withdrawal of the two-tier code does not impact on or change existing TUPE regulations and therefore employees that are subject to TUPE regulations will continue to be covered by TUPE regulations.

Public Sector: Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2010,  Official Report, column 143W, on public sector procurement, what plans the Office of Government Commerce has to monitor compliance with its 2009 guidance on promoting skills through public procurement; and what mechanisms it has in place to do so.

Francis Maude: holding answer 29 November 2010
	The primary purpose of government procurement is to buy the goods and services the Government need in a way that achieves the best value for money.
	Decisions on the inclusion of skills and apprenticeships requirements in procurement have to be taken on a case-by-case basis, driven by the imperative of optimising value for money.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he evaluated the experience of summer camps in other countries in developing his proposals for a national citizenship service.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office and Department for Education have considered international comparisons in developing the National Citizen Service pilots and have analysed evidence of challenges and success factors in running youth development programmes with a community focus in a number of other countries.

Winter Resilience Network

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the remit is of the winter resilience network; who the members are of that network; when that network was established; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: holding answer 21 December 2010
	 The Winter Resilience Network comprises those central Government Departments, the devolved Administrations and local partners responsible for anticipating and managing the various impacts of winter weather. Its role is to monitor, address and share information regarding winter preparedness, as well as to ensure a co-ordinated response to challenges as they arise. Partners have been in regular contact throughout the summer to address issues arising from last winter's disruption, and have been meeting regularly at both ministerial and official level to address issues arising from the recent severe weather and to identify potential challenges ahead.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Rehabilitation

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on the involvement of service users in commissioning services to treat  (a) alcoholism and  (b) drug addiction;
	(2)  whether he plans to involve local communities in the  (a) design and  (b) provision of (i) prevention and (ii) treatment services for (A) alcoholism and (B) drug addiction;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to reform the system of commissioning for  (a) alcohol and  (b) drug addiction treatment services; and how he plans to (i) increase efficiency, (ii) create savings to the public purse and (iii) reduce the level of administrative burdens through the local commissioning of such services.

Anne Milton: "Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health" sets out our vision for the future of commissioning of drug and alcohol services which we propose will be funded from the new public health budget and commissioned by local authorities as part of their new public health role.
	In addition, the "Drug Strategy 2010. Reducing Demand, Restricting Supply, Building Recovery: Supporting People to live a drug free life" sets out how treatment services will be commissioned locally to take account the needs of communities with local directors of public health and directors of children's services taking a key role, this would include any local engagement of service users.
	The drug strategy also sets out plans to test new approaches by introducing six pilots to explore how payment by results can work for drugs recovery for adults. Separately, work is being undertaken to pilot a payment by results approach for alcohol treatment.
	Copies of both documents have already been placed in the Library.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Rehabilitation

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he expects Public Health England to play in raising awareness of the health implications of  (a) alcoholism and  (b) drug addiction in local communities.

Anne Milton: "Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health" sets out our vision for the future of commissioning of drug and alcohol services which we propose will be funded from the new public health budget and commissioned by local authorities as part of their new public health role. This includes delivering appropriate prevention interventions and commissioning treatment services for those who need it to get help to recover.
	A copy of the document has already been placed in the Library.

Animal Products: Clones

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on proposals made by the European Commission on a moratorium on the cloning of animals for food production; and what advice he has received from the Food Standards Agency on the matter.

James Paice: I have been asked to reply.
	Following consideration by interested Government Departments and advice from the Food Standards Agency, the Government consider that a ban or a temporary suspension on cloning, the use of clones and the marketing of food from clones is disproportionate in terms of food safety and animal welfare. Insufficient evidence has been provided to justify a ban and any ban would require an impact assessment that demonstrated the need for and benefit of new regulation.

Blood: Hepatitis

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2010,  Official Report, column 173W, on blood: hepatitis, on what date the review of payments for compensation will be  (a) completed and  (b) announced to the House.

Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement given on 21 December 2010,  Official Report, column 166WS.

Departmental Publicity

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on which initiatives of his Department and its agencies expenditure on advertising has been incurred in each of the last five years; how much was spent on advertising in respect of each such initiative; and how much his Department and its agencies plan to spend on advertising in respect of which initiatives in 2010-11.

Simon Burns: The following tables show the Department's advertising expenditure carried out through the Communications Directorate over each of the last five financial years by initiative.(1)
	A total budget figure for the 2010-11 financial year cannot be provided at this stage as detailed planning for some campaigns is under way and advertising media allocations have not yet been finalised.
	
		
			  Departmental advertising spend 200 5 -0 6  to 2008-09 
			  £ million 
			  Campaign  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Alcohol (from 06-07 departmental contribution to campaign run jointly with Home Office) 0.00 0.56 0.61 4.77 
			 Antibiotics 0.38 0.00 0.39 1.15 
			 Change4Life 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69 
			 Drugs (departmental contribution to campaign run jointly with Home Office) 0.18 1.34 0.67 1.45 
			 Flu (Immunisation) 1.83 1.11 0.98 1.42 
			 Hepatitis C 0.00 0.52 1.34 1.30 
			 HPV Vaccination 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.80 
			 Immunisation 0.00 1.66 0.00 0.32 
			 National health service including nurse recruitment 0.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 NHS Injury Benefits Scheme 0.00 0.00 0.40 0.00 
			 NHS Choices 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.55 
			 Patient Choice 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.53 
			 Respiratory and hand hygiene 0.00 0.00 0.32 1.53 
			 Sexual health/teenage pregnancy 0.00 2.88 3.11 2.83 
			 Social care/worker recruitment 2.42 2.31 2.22 2.03 
			 Smoking-tobacco control 20.80 13.17 10.79 23.38 
			 Stroke 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.52 
			 Tobacco legislation 0.00 0.32 5.38 0.00 
			 Winter (Get the right treatment/ask about medicines day) 0.59 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 5 a Day 0.05 0.05 0.00 0.00 
			 Elll/EHIC 1.00 0.00 0.00 0.16 
			 Department's outdoor campaign 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Total 27.47 23.92 26.24 56.43 
		
	
	
		
			  Departmental advertising spend 2009-10 
			  Campaign  £ million 
			 Tobacco 14.60 
			 Change4Life 9.20 
			 Life Check 2.28 
			 Alcohol 3.25 
			 Pandemic flu 7.24 
			 Seasonal flu immunisation 0.17 
			 HPV vaccine 3.73 
			 Sexual health awareness 0.99 
			 Social care recruitment 2.99 
			 MMR uptake campaign 0.24 
			 Respiratory and hand hygiene campaign 2.63 
			 Hepatitis C 1.04 
			 Stroke 2.24 
			 Sexual health/teenage pregnancy 6.68 
			 National dementia strategy 1.58 
			 FRANK 1.42 
			 Totals 60.28 
		
	
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has also carried out advertising over the past five years. Spend by year can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  MHRA advertising spend 2006-10 
			   £ 
			 2006 13,999.8 
			 2007 3,026.06 
			 2008 2,608.96 
			 2009 0 
			 2010 0 
			 Total 19,634.82 
		
	
	(1)Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs, COI commission and VAT). All figures exclude advertising rebates and audit adjustments and therefore may differ from COI official turnover figures. All figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000. These figures do not include departmental recruitment/classified advertising costs and ad hoc spend under £10,000. These figures may include occasional minor spend through COI by NHS organisations to supplement national campaigns in their area. While this expenditure has been excluded as far as possible so that this chart reflects central departmental spend, it would incur disproportionate cost to validate that every item of NHS expenditure has been removed.

General Practitioners: Newcastle upon Tyne

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department has issued guidance to Newcastle Bridges GP commissioning consortium on  (a) the desirability and frequency of executive management meetings and  (b) whether such meetings should be held in public;
	(2)  whether his Department has issued guidance to County Durham and Darlington Federation Pathfinder on  (a) the frequency of executive management meetings and  (b) whether such meetings should be held in public.

Simon Burns: The Department has not issued guidance to any pathfinders.

Health Visitors: Recruitment

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS bodies will employ health visitors following implementation of his proposals to replace primary care trusts.

Simon Burns: Under the proposals set out in 'Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England', and in related consultations, responsibility for health visiting provision should pass to Public Health England budget. In due course, we see health visiting being commissioned locally as part of the health improvement responsibilities that will pass to local authorities.
	The Department's Transforming Community Services Programme is working closely with strategic health authorities to ensure that primary care trusts separate commissioning of services from provision by April 2011 as smoothly and as effectively as possible.
	Where health visitors are employed will vary according to the new range of provider organisations.

Hydrotherapy

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS hydrotherapy pools were  (a) opened and  (b) closed in each primary care trust in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many NHS hydrotherapy pools are available to patients in each primary care trust;
	(3)  whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the number of NHS hydrotherapy pools.

Simon Burns: The Department does not collect data centrally on the number of hydrotherapy treatment pools available in each primary care trust in England. National health service organisations will decide locally on the provision of hydrotherapy pools based on the clinical needs of their patients.

NHS

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to encourage new providers to bid for community contracts as part of the reforms proposed in the public health White Paper.

Simon Burns: On 21 December 2010 we published a consultation to accompany the recent White Paper on public health, "Healthy Lives, Healthy People". The consultation, "Healthy Lives, Healthy People: consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health", asks specifically what can be done to ensure the widest possible range of providers are supported to play a full part in providing health and wellbeing services. We plan to publish a response to the consultation in 2011.
	Localism will be at the heart of the new public health system, with devolved responsibilities, freedoms and funding, subject to parliamentary approval of the forthcoming Health and Social Care Bill. Local authorities will have use of a ring-fenced grant to fund their new public health responsibilities. We expect that the majority of services will be commissioned, given the opportunities this would bring to engage local communities more widely in the provision of public health, and to deliver best value and best results. We would encourage and expect that local authorities, where possible and appropriate, should be commissioning on an any willing provider/competitive tender basis. It is also expected that local people will have access to information about commissioning decisions, how public health money has been spent and the outcomes that have been achieved.

NHS Commissioning Board

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on the monitoring arrangements for the NHS Commissioning Board.

Simon Burns: No discussions have taken place. An annual mandate will be agreed between the Secretary of State and the NHS Commissioning Board. It will include objectives and levels of improvement for quality, outcomes and reducing inequalities as well as financial allocations to the NHS Commissioning Board.

NHS: Negligence

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations his Department has received on the introduction of a legal duty of candour in healthcare.

Simon Burns: The Department has received a number of representations on the subject including those from Action against Medical Accidents and the Medical Protection Society.

North East Strategic Health Authority: Accident and Emergency Departments

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) middle grade doctors and  (b) middle grade doctor vacancies there were in each accident and emergency department in the North East Strategic Health Authority area.

Simon Burns: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Information on the numbers of medical staff in the accident and emergency (A&E) specialty by trust in the North East Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area is available from the "NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census". This information has been placed in the Library.
	Information on the vacancy rates and numbers for all consultants in the A&E specialty by trust in the North East SHA area is available from the "NHS Information Centre for health and social care Vacancies Survey of March 2010". This information has been placed in the Library.

Pain: Health Services

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to publish guidance for healthcare professionals on the chronic pain pathway; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Department has no plans to publish guidance for healthcare professionals on the chronic pain pathway. We understand that the British Pain Society has set up a working group to draw up guidelines for health care professionals on chronic pain pathways, drawing on guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and other evidence-based guidelines. In addition, the Department has asked NICE to consider the development of a quality standard on pain relief.

Pain: Health Services

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to  (a) general practitioners,  (b) pain specialists and  (c) patients on dealing with chronic pain.

Paul Burstow: The Department has not issued guidance specifically for general practitioners, pain specialists or patients on dealing with chronic pain, although it published a summary care pathway in July 2008 to help commissioners to develop appropriate integrated services, and has funded the distribution of a "pain toolkit" written to help people who live with persistent pain.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published guidance on various aspects of chronic pain, including clinical guidelines on the early treatment of non-specific chronic back pain and on the pharmacological management of neuropathic pain.

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Review

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the independent report commissioned into the dismissal of the chief executive of the Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust; and what proportion of such costs were attributable to the redrafting of the report;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each draft submitted to him of the independent report on the dismissal of the chief executive of the Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust;
	(3)  when he plans to publish the independent report he commissioned into the dismissal of the chief executive of the Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust.

Simon Burns: The Department estimates that the cost to the Department of the independent report commissioned into the dismissal of the chief executive of the Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust will be £66,331.
	There has been no significant redrafting of the report, and therefore no costs associated with it. The Department only holds a copy of the final report.
	The final report was published on 4 January 2011 and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_123218
	A copy has already been placed in the Library.

Social Services: Cornwall

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the funding made available to assist the NHS and local authority social services departments to integrate their services has been allocated to  (a) Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust and  (b) Cornwall Council for each of the next four years.

Paul Burstow: The following table shows the total amount of money made available within health for spend on social care that also benefits health for the next four years.
	
		
			   Additional funds from health  (£ billion) 
			 2011-12 0.8 
			 2012-13 0.9 
			 2013-14 1.1 
			 2014-15 1.0 
		
	
	For the first two years, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust (PCT) will receive £7.760 million and £7.485 million respectively. Of this, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT will transfer £7.727 million in year one and £7.448 million in year two to Cornwall council for spend on social care services that also benefit health. The remaining balance of £0.033 million and £0.037 million respectively will go to the Isles of Scilly local authority for spend on social care that also benefits health.
	The 2011-12 NHS Operating Framework sets out how this funding should be managed:
	PCTs will need to transfer this funding to local authorities to invest in social care services to benefit health, and to improve overall health gain. Transfers will need to be made via an agreement under section 256 of the 2006 NHS Act.
	PCTs need to work together with local authorities to agree jointly on appropriate areas for social care investment, and the outcomes expected from this investment. This could include current services such as telecare, community directed prevention (including falls prevention), community equipment and adaptations, and crisis response services. The Department would expect these decisions to take into account the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for their local population, and the existing commissioning plans for both health and social care. PCTs should work with local authorities to achieve these outcomes in a transparent and efficient manner, with local authorities keeping PCTs informed of progress using appropriate local mechanisms.
	Additionally the Government have recently set out their vision for adult social care: 'Capable communities and active citizens and updated its carers' strategy, Recognised, Valued and supported: Next steps for the Carers Strategy', which should be taken into account when agreeing local investment plans.
	More information will be available for 2013-14 and 2014-15 in due course.

Strokes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans his Department has for funding  (a) the National Sentinel Stroke Audit and  (b) the Stroke Improvement National Audit Programme after 2010-11;
	(2)  what funding the Cabinet Office Efficiency and Reform Group has approved for a further wave of the Act FAST stroke awareness campaign in 2011.

Simon Burns: The contract and associated funding for the National Sentinel Stroke Audit runs until 3 March 2012 and for the Stroke Improvement National Audit Programme until 31 March 2011. Consideration is being given to the synergies between these two audits and the opportunities for developing a single stroke audit.
	The Cabinet Office Efficiency and Reform Group has agreed to an exemption request for the Act FAST, stroke awareness campaign. This approval is for spend of £743,000 to cover television advertising, marketing and evaluation.

Tuberculosis

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public awareness campaigns his Department is running to warn at-risk groups of the  (a) dangers and  (b) symptoms of tuberculosis.

Anne Milton: The Department is not running public awareness campaigns on tuberculosis (TB). However, the Department has provided grant funding to TB Alert, a United Kingdom charity, to work with at-risk groups, to encourage prompt referral for TB testing and treatment. This work includes building the capacity of a range of third sector organisations to raise awareness of tuberculosis with their local communities.

JUSTICE

Coroners: Legal Costs

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the annual cost of legal representation was of the Government at completed inquests into all cases where the Government was represented in each financial year since 2007-08; and how much the Government spent on legal aid to the families of the deceased in each such year.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) does not hold details of the annual cost to the whole of Government of legal representation at inquests. Each Department makes their own arrangements.
	The MOJ specifically incurs legal costs at inquests following the deaths of serving prisoners. The Treasury Solicitor's Department charges the MOJ on a monthly basis for legal advice and representation at inquests. These charges came to £1.8 million in 2007-08; £2.2 million in 2008-09 and £2.7 million in 2009-10. It is not possible to attribute a proportion of these charges specifically to completed inquests.
	Under the Access to Justice Act 1999, the Lord Chancellor has the power to authorise the Legal Services Commission to grant exceptional legal aid funding in cases which are not within the scope of the civil legal aid scheme. The total amount spent on exceptional funding was £1.1 million in 2007-08; £1.5 million in 2008-09 and £1.6 million in 2009-10. While most of the applications for exceptional funding are for inquests, it is not possible to disaggregate the expenditure on inquests from the total amount spent on exceptional funding.

Courts: Closures

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which constituencies a magistrates' court or county court will not be located following the implementation of his proposals for courts closures.

Jonathan Djanogly: The provision of courts in England and Wales is not determined by constituency boundaries. Each community in England and Wales is served by both a magistrates and county court. Many courts serve a number of constituencies and many constituencies are served by more than one court.

Courts: Closures

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the distance is from each court which will close under his proposals for court closures to the nearest equivalent court which will remain open; and how many cases were dealt with in each court which he proposes to close in the last year for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The consultation response documents detail the percentage of the population in each area within a 60 minute public transport commute of their local court. Table 1 shows details of the distance from closing court to receiving court for each of the courts that will close.
	Central administrative systems do not provide statistics on completed proceedings at each individual magistrates court site, but do provide data by local justice areas (LJAs). Table 2 therefore contains figures for the number of completed proceedings in 2009 for those LJAs which contain one or more magistrates courts proposed for closure. The counts provided do not relate solely to cases dealt with at the closing courts and include cases dealt with at any other magistrates courts in each LJA which are not proposed to close.
	For county courts, Table 3 sets out the number of cases (non family) in 2009 in county courts that will close. Table 4 sets out the number of public and private law orders in 2009 in county courts that will close. Table 5 sets out the number of family proceedings completed in 2009 in county courts that will close.
	Not shown on the tables are Coleford, Chepstow, Circencester, Rutland, Epsom and Llandovery magistrates courts, and Chepstow, Goole and Gravesend county courts, which were not utilised in 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1: Distance between closing court and receiving court 
			  Magistrates court (MC)/county court (CC)  Receiving magistrates court (MC)/county court (CC)  Distance (miles) 
			 Aberdare MC Merthyr Tydfil MC 8 
			 Aberdare CC Merthyr Tydfil CC 8 
			 Abertillery MC Newport MC/Cwmbran MC 17/15 
			 Acton MC Ealing MC/Feltham MC/Uxbridge MC 3/10/12 
			 Alnwick MC Bedlington MC/Berwick upon Tweed MC 26/30 
			 Alton MC Aldershot MC/Basingstoke 14/14 
			 Amersham MC Aylesbury MC/High Wycombe MC 16/9 
			 Ammanford MC Llanelli MC 14 
			 Andover MC Basingstoke MC 23 
			 Ashford CC Canterbury CC 15 
			 Ashford MC Folkestone MC/Canterbury MC 16/15 
			 Balham MC South Western MC/Camberwell Green MC 3/5 
			 Barking MC Havering MC/Redbridge MC 9/7 
			 Barry MC Cardiff MC 10 
			 Bicester MC Banbury MC 21 
			 Bishop Auckland CC Durham CC 12 
			 Bishop Auckland MC Newton Aycliffe MC/Darlington MC 7/14 
			 Blandford Forum MC Weymouth MC 27 
			 Blaydon MC Gateshead MC 7 
			 Brentford MC Ealing MC/Feltham MC/Uxbridge MC 3/7/12 
			 Bridgwater MC Taunton MC 13 
			 Burton upon Trent CC Derby / Stafford CC 13/37 
			 Camborne MC Truro MC 17 
			 Cardigan MC Aberystwyth MC/Haverfordwest MC 39/27 
			 Cheltenham CC Gloucester CC 10 
			 Chepstow CC Newport CC 18 
			 Chepstow MC Newport MC/Cwmbran MC 18/22 
			 Chorley CC Preston CC 12 
			 Cirencester MC Gloucester MC/Stroud MC 21/13 
			 Coalville MC Hinckley MC 15 
			 Coleford MC Gloucester MC 20 
			 Consett CC Durham CC 14 
			 Cromer MC Norwich MC/Great Yarmouth MC 23/34 
			 Daventry MC Northampton MC 16 
			 Denbigh MC Prestatyn MC 14 
			 Dewsbury CC Huddersfield CC 10 
			 Dewsbury MC Huddersfield MC 9 
			 Didcot MC Oxford MC 15 
			 Ely MC Cambridge MC 18 
			 Epping MC Harlow MC/Chelmsford MC 7/19 
			 Epsom CC Redhill CC 10 
			 Epsom MC Redhill MC 10 
			 Evesham CC Worcester CC 17 
			 Flint MC Mold MC 6 
			 Frame MC Yeovil MC/Bath MC 32/15 
			 Goole CC Doncaster CC 24 
			 Goole MC Beverley MC/Hull MC 31/29 
			 Gosforth MC Newcastle upon Tyne MC 4 
			 Grantham CC(1) Boston CC 31 
			 Gravesend CC Dartford CC 8 
			 Grays MC Basildon MC/Southend MC 11/22 
			 Guisborough MC Middlesbrough MC 10 
			 Halesowen MC Dudley MC 6 
			 Harlow CC(1) Chelmsford CC 20 
			 Harrow MC Brent MC 7 
			 Haywards Heath CC Brighton CC 17 
			 Haywards Heath MC Crawley MC/Horsham MC 12/13 
			 Hemel Hempstead MC Watford MC 8 
			 Hexham MC Newcastle upon Tyne MC 22 
			 Highgate MC Highbury Comer MC 3 
			 Hitchin CC Luton CC 10 
			 Honiton MC Exeter MC 17 
			 Houghton Le Spring MC Sunderland MC 8 
			 Huntingdon CC(1) Peterborough CC 24 
			 Ilford CC Romford CC 5 
			 Ilkeston MC Derby MC 11 
			 Keighley CC Bradford CC 6 
			 Keighley MC Bradford MC 6 
			 Kidderminster CC(1) Worcester CC 15 
			 Kingston upon Thames MC Wimbledon MC 7 
			 Knowsley MC Liverpool MC 7 
			 Lewes MC Brighton MC 9 
			 Liskeard MC Bodmin MC 14 
			 Llandovery MC Llanelli MC 31 
			 Llangefni MC(1) Holyhead MC 17 
			 Llwynpia MC Pontypridd MC 7 
			 Lowestoft CC(1) Norwich CC 30 
			 Ludlow CC Telford CC 42 
			 Ludlow MC Telford MC 42 
			 Lyndhurst MC Southampton MC 11 
			 Market Drayton MC Shrewsbury MC 22 
			 Market Harborough MC Leicester MC 15 
			 Melton Mowbray CC Leicester CC 17 
			 Melton Mowbray MC Loughborough MC 18 
			 Newark CC Nottingham CC 15 
			 Newark MC Nottingham MC 20 
			 Newbury CC(1) Reading CC 21 
			 Northwich CC Crewe CC 15 
			 Northwich MC Chester MC/Crewe MC 25/15 
			 Oswestry CC Telford CC 34 
			 Oswestry MC Oswestry MC 22 
			 Penrith CC Carlisle CC 22 
			 Penrith MC Carlisle MC 22 
			 Penzance CC Truro CC 29 
			 Penzance MC Truro MC 28 
			 Pontefract CC Wakefield CC 12 
			 Pontefract MC Wakefield MC 14 
			 Pontypool CC Blackwood CC 10 
			 Poole CC(1) Bournemouth CC 8 
			 Pwllheli MC Caernarfon MC/Dolgellau MC 21/38 
			 Rawtenstall CC Burnley CC 8 
			 Rawtenstall MC Burnley MC 8 
			 Redditch CC(1) Worcester CC 27 
			 Retford MC Worksop MC 10 
			 Rhyl CC Prestatyn CC 4 
			 Rochdale MC Bury MC 7 
			 Rugby CC Nuneaton CC 19 
			 Rugby MC Leamington Spa MC 17 
			 Runcorn CC Warrington CC 9 
			 Rutland MC Loughborough MC 13 
			 Salford CC Manchester CC 2 
			 Salford MC Manchester MC 1 
			 Selby MC York MC 15 
			 Shrewsbury CC(1) Telford CC 14 
			 Sittingbourne MC Chatham MC/Canterbury MC 10/17 
			 Skegness CC(1) Boston CC 23 
			 Southport CC Liverpool CC 20 
			 Southport MC Bottle MC 17 
			 Stoke on Trent MC Newcastle under Lyme MC 4 
			 Stourbridge CC Dudley CC 5 
			 Stratford-Upon-Avon CC Warwick CC 10 
			 Sudbury MC Bury St Edmunds MC 17 
			 Sutton Coldfield MC Birmingham MC 8 
			 Sutton MC Croydon MC 3 
			 Swaffham MC Kings Lynn MC 16 
			 Tamworth CC Stafford CC 30 
			 Tamworth MC Burton MC 13 
			 Thetford MC Norwich MC/Bury St Edmunds MC 33/13 
			 Totnes MC Torquay MC 10 
			 Towcester MC Northampton MC 17 
			 Tower Bridge MC Camberwell Green MC 4 
			 Trowbridge CC Chippenham CC 14 
			 Wellingborough CC Kettering CC 8 
			 West Bromwich MC Warley MC 2 
			 Whitehaven CC Workington CC 9 
			 Whitehaven MC Workington MC 9 
			 Wimborne MC Bournemouth MC 10 
			 Wisbech MC Peterborough MC/Kings Lynn MC 22/14 
			 Witney MC Oxford MC 13 
			 Woking MC Guildford MC/Staines MC 7/14 
			 Woolwich MC Greenwich MC 6 
			 Worksop CC(1) Mansfield CC 14 
			 (1) Hearings to be retained.  Note: Distances are rounded to nearest mile. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Completed proceedings in selected magistrates courts, Local Justice Areas, 2009 
			  Local Justice Area containing court(s) proposed for closure  Closing magistrates court(s) within LJA  Number of completed proceedings within overall LJA 
			 Alnwick Alnwick 899 
			 Anglesey (Ynys Mon) Llangefni 2,922 
			 Ashby-de-la-Zouch Coalville 3,352 
			 Barking Barking 11,954 
			 Batley and Dewsbury Batley and Dewsbury 10,349 
			 Bromley Woolwich 19,435 
			 Burnley Pendle and Rossendale Rawtenstall 19,136 
			 Central Buckinghamshire Amersham 8,286 
			 Central Devon Honiton 12,230 
			 Central Kent Sittingbourne 20,430 
			 Central Norfolk Swaffham 173 
			 Ceredigion Cardigan 2,368 
			 City of Salford Salford 14,130 
			 Cynon Valley Aberdare 3,219 
			 Daventry Daventry 1,939 
			 Denbighshire Denbigh 6,886 
			 Dinefwr Ammanford 1,414 
			 Dudley and Halesowen Halesowen 3,134 
			 Ealing Acton 9,844 
			 East Cambridgeshire Ely 4,149 
			 East Cornwall Liskeard 7,409 
			 East Dorset Wimborne 20,887 
			 East Kent Ashford 25,712 
			 Eden Penrith 2,970 
			 Flintshire Flint 6,360 
			 Gateshead Blaydon 11,581 
			 Goole and Howdenshire Goole 2,880 
			 Gwent Abertillery 31,333 
			 Gwynedd Pwllheli 6,334 
			 Haringey Haringey (Highgate) 9,601 
			 Harrow Harrow 12,231 
			 Hounslow Brentford 12,738 
			 Keighley Bingley (Keighley) 7,760 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames Kingston upon Thames 4,860 
			 Knowsley Knowsley 7,927 
			 Lambeth and Southwark Tower Bridge 31,984 
			 Langbaurgh East Guisborough (East Langbaurgh) 2,900 
			 Melton, Belvoir and Rutland Melton Mowbray 2,279 
			 Miskin Llwynypia 10,334 
			 New Forest Lyndhurst 7,348 
			 Newark and Southwell Newark 2,790 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne Gosforth 33,097 
			 North East Hampshire Alton 9,984 
			 North Norfolk Cromer 867 
			 North Sefton Southport (north Sefton) 3,448 
			 North Staffordshire Stoke-on-Trent 24,058 
			 North West Essex Epping 11,502 
			 North West Hampshire Andover 9,890 
			 North West Surrey Woking 7,659 
			 Northern Oxfordshire Bicester, Witney 14,090 
			 Peterborough Wisbech 16,746 
			 Pontefract Pontefract 10,447 
			 Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood Rochdale 14,067 
			 Sandwell West Bromwich 4,715 
			 Sedgemoor Bridgwater 3,095 
			 Selby Selby 2,122 
			 Shrewsbury and North Shropshire Market Drayton, Market Harborough, Oswestry 6,739 
			 South Devon Totnes 10,301 
			 South Durham Bishop Auckland 14,968 
			 South East Staffordshire Tamworth 9,174 
			 South Norfolk Thetford 222 
			 South Somerset and Mendip Frome 5,984 
			 South West Essex Grays 4,441 
			 Southern Derbyshire Ilkeston 24,870 
			 Southern Oxfordshire Didcot 1,951 
			 Sunderland and Houghton-le-Spring Houghton-le-Spring 20,382 
			 Sussex (Central) Lewes 18,623 
			 Sussex (Northern) Mid-Sussex (Haywards Heath) 14,652 
			 Sutton Sutton 9,658 
			 Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield 11,248 
			 Telford and South Shropshire Ludlow 10,565 
			 Towcester Towcester 1,282 
			 Tynedale Tynedale (Hexham) 2,220 
			 Vale of Glamorgan Barry 7,031 
			 Vale Royal Northwich 11,329 
			 Wandsworth Balham youth court 22,047 
			 Warwickshire Rugby 22,530 
			 West Cornwall Camborne, Penzance 7,560 
			 West Dorset Blandford Forum 8,514 
			 West Hertfordshire Hemel Hempstead 25,858 
			 West Suffolk Sudbury 13,884 
			 Whitehaven Whitehaven 2,829 
			 Worksop and Retford Retford 6,486 
			  Notes: 1. Figure include Criminal, Civil and Family proceedings, Means Inquiries, and Rights to Representation. 2. Information is only available at Local Justice Area; the figures provided in the table include completed proceedings at all the magistrates courts within each LJA, not just at those magistrates courts listed in the middle column. 3. The data comes from an internal management system. The data are subject to our minimal levels of quality assurance and is based on the data currently available.  Source: Completed Proceedings, HM Courts Service Performance Database (OPT) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Total number of civil (non-family) cases heard in the selected county courts, 2009 
			  County court  Number of cases heard 
			 Aberdare County 265 
			 Ashford County 647 
			 Bishop Auckland County 436 
			 Burton Upon Trent County 659 
			 Cheltenham County 486 
			 Chorley County 329 
			 Consett County 373 
			 Dewsbury County 1,393 
			 Epsom County 743 
			 Evesham County 253 
			 Grantham County 295 
			 Harlow County 739 
			 Haywards Heath County 373 
			 Hitchin County 886 
			 Huntingdon County 407 
			 Ilford County 1,646 
			 Keighley County 339 
			 Kidderminster County 431 
			 Lowestoft County 601 
			 Ludlow County 76 
			 Melton Mowbray County 145 
			 Newark County 185 
			 Newbury County 303 
			 Northwich County 386 
			 Oswestry County 100 
			 Penrith County 79 
			 Penzance County 382 
			 Pontefract County 641 
			 Pontypool County 493 
			 Poole County 738 
			 Rawtenstall County 211 
			 Redditch County 534 
			 Rhyl County 516 
			 Rugby County 324 
			 Runcorn County 351 
			 Salford County 1,827 
			 Shrewsbury County 337 
			 Skegness County 189 
			 Southport County 507 
			 Stourbridge County 539 
			 Stratford County 209 
			 Tamworth County 358 
			 Trowbridge County 655 
			 Wellingborough County 579 
			 Whitehaven County 363 
			 Worksop County 432 
			  Notes: 1. Total number of civil proceedings completed in the Welsh county courts includes all cases disposed of by a trial or small claim hearing, or which saw an order for possession of property made at a hearing. 2. The county courts for which data has been provided were announced to be closed by the courts' Minister on 14 December 2010.  Source: HM Courts Service CaseMan system and Possession Claim On-Line system 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Private and Public Law orders made in selected county courts, 2009 
			  County court  Order made 
			 Consett County 312 
			 Runcorn County 163 
			 Penrith County 16 
			 Rawtenstall County 94 
			 Keighley County 339 
			 Bishop Auckland County 116 
			 Salford County 277 
			 Pontefract County 417 
			 Ilford County 629 
			 Penzance County 38 
			 Whitehaven County 197 
			 Rhyl County 508 
			 Lowestoft County 201 
			 Dewsbury County 785 
			 Hitchin County 210 
			 Burton Upon Trent County 229 
			 Southport County 252 
			 Trowbridge County 421 
			 Epsom County 140 
			 Shrewsbury County 320 
			 Harlow County 257 
			  Notes: 1. Figures relate to the number of children subject to each application. 2. Public law refers to child protection cases where a local authority is stepping in to protect a child from harm. Private law refers to cases where there is a dispute between two or more private individuals regarding a child. For example, over where he/she is to live or whether someone should have contact with him/her. Both are cases brought under the Children Act 1989. 3. Figures include orders made in the county courts and the district registry of the High Court.  Source: HM Courts Service FamilyMan system 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: Completed family proceedings in selected county courts, 2009 
			  County court  Order made 
			 Consett County 273 
			 Runcorn County 182 
			 Penrith County 170 
			 Rawtenstall County 196 
			 Keighley County 413 
			 Chorley County 330 
			 Bishop Auckland County 415 
			 Salford County 586 
			 Pontefract County 487 
			 Ilford County 1,130 
			 Penzance County 391 
			 Whitehaven County 454 
			 Rhyl County 495 
			 Lowestoft County 722 
			 Dewsbury County 770 
			 Hitchin County 698 
			 Burton Upon Trent County 928 
			 Southport County 741 
			 Trowbridge County 952 
			 Epsom County 814 
			 Shrewsbury County 902 
			 Harlow County 1,135 
			  Notes: 1. Figures include orders made in the District Registry of the High Court, and exclude public and private law cases. 2. Figures include cases related to domestic violence injunctions, dissolution and nullity of marriage and ancillary relief. 3. One case may include more than one type of ancillary relief order.  Source: HM Courts Service FamilyMan system

Departmental Press Releases

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions his Department has provided embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010; in respect of how many such briefings his Department was informed that the embargo had been breached; what steps were taken as a result of each such breach; and on how many occasions his Department has provided media briefings without an embargo prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: One embargoed briefing was given by Ministers to the media ahead of an oral statement. No embargoes have been breached and no briefings without an embargo have been held ahead of an oral statement.
	All Ministers obey the ministerial code and ensure all important policy announcements are made to Parliament-by oral statement or WMS.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the effect of the increase in the standard rate of value added tax on his Department's annual expenditure.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice currently estimates that the net effect of the increase in standard rate value added tax for the last quarter of the 2010-11 financial year will be £19 million; for 2011-12 the effect is estimated to be £75 million. The Ministry of Justice recovers VAT incurred on certain contracted out services and the £75 million estimate is net of VAT recoveries. Departmental spending review settlements are set on a tax-inclusive basis, including the increase to the standard rate of VAT.

Departmental Responsibilities

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many requests have been received by Ministers in his Department for meetings with the President of the Law Society since 6 May 2010; and how many meetings on what dates have taken place between Ministers in his Department and the President of the Law Society.

Kenneth Clarke: All requests for ministerial meetings by the President of the Law Society are honoured by me and my Ministers wherever possible. Since the 6 May 2010, I have had one meeting with the President of the Law Society, Linda Lee, on 19 October 2010, and one with her predecessor, Robert Heslett, on 8 June 2010; Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Jonathan Djangoly has had three meetings each with Linda Lee on 27 July 2010, 14 October 2010, and 16 November 2010, and Robert Heslett on 8 June 2010, 30 June 2010, and 14 July 2010; and Minister of State Lord McNally has had one meeting with Linda Lee on 17 November 2010.

Family Courts: Legal Aid

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who attended the meeting on 15 January 2010 between the Legal Services Commission and the Law Society on the family tendering exercise.

Jonathan Djanogly: The meeting was attended by two members of the LSC's Family Policy Team, and one representative from each of the Law Society, Resolution and the Legal Aid Practitioners Group.

Legal Aid Scheme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the population will have access to legal aid following the implementation of his Department's proposed reforms; and what proportion of the population had access to legal aid in  (a) 1998,  (b) 2005 and  (c) the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has not made an assessment of the impact the legal aid reforms may have on the proportion of the population that have access to legal aid. However, the MOJ made an estimate on the number likely to be affected by the reforms.
	The proposed legal aid reforms will affect access to civil legal aid; however, they do not affect access to criminal legal aid. The estimated impact of the proposed legal aid reforms on the number that would not have had access to legal aid in 2008-09 has been published in the legal aid reform impact assessments on the Ministry of Justice website.
	The following table outlines the number of people that claimed legal aid in 2009-10 and 2005-06. However, data is not available for 1998-99 as this pre-dates central recording of legal aid claimant data.
	The figures are recorded separately for civil and criminal legal aid. Civil legal aid is split between legal help (advice) and legal representation. Criminal legal aid is split between crime lower (work at police stations and in the magistrates court) and crime higher (representation in Crown court).
	Clients can also access civil legal advice from the community legal advice telephone line which is excluded from these figures.
	
		
			   Total civil legal representation  Total civil legal help  Total crime lower  Total crime higher 
			 1998-99 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2005-06 151,333 744,267 1,488,900 121,500 
			 2009-10 138,933 793,240 1,407,700 126,100

Legal Aid Scheme and Universal Credit

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the proposed timetable for the  (a) reform of legal aid and  (b) introduction of the universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Discussions have taken place at official level on the timetable for reform of legal aid and the introduction of the universal credit.
	We will work together closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that the legal aid passporting provisions for income are appropriately aligned with the proposed reforms to the system of financial support for people of working age, including the proposal that combines income related benefits and tax credits.

Legal Aid Scheme: Telephone Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the implications of his proposals for a single telephone gateway for civil legal aid services, on people who  (a) do not have access to a telephone,  (b) have a health condition that prevents them from using a telephone and  (c) have English language difficulties; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Clients who do not have access to a telephone (either personally or through family or friends) can obtain e-mail advice through the Community Legal Advice (CLA) service. Access to the internet is available free of charge in many public locations such as libraries. In addition, many voluntary and community sector organisations allow clients access to their telephone services or would ring the helpline on their behalf. The CLA helpline also offers a call-me-back service for clients concerned about the cost of their call.
	Many clients with health conditions find it difficult to travel to their advice provider or sit in waiting rooms and often find that telephone advice services are more convenient. The CLA helpline accepts calls from clients using systems such as Minicom and Typetalk that aid communication with or between deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech-impaired people. Clients with hearing or speech impairments may also access advice through the e-mail service or through the British Sign Language service offered by the helpline in partnership with the Royal Association for the Deaf.
	The CLA helpline offers a free translation service in 170 languages through Language Line for clients seeking advice in a language other than English or Welsh.

Legal Aid Scheme: Telephone Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether individuals who are referred for specialist advice will have a choice of provider following the implementation of his proposals for a single telephone gateway for civil legal aid services; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: In cases referred to face-to-face advice, CLA call agents will offer clients details of a number of providers that are geographically closest to their home or place of work dealing with cases in the category of law in question. Clients will be able to request details of additional providers and to choose which provider to visit.

Legal Aid: Contracts

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what terms of agreement were reached between the Law Society, the Legal Services Commission and his Department arising from the judgment of the Court of Appeal decision of November 2007 on the Law Society's Judicial Review of the civil legal aid contract; when and by what means the terms of the agreement were published; what statements were made by his Department on the Legal Services Commission on that subject in April 2008; and what information was provided about the extent of the power to amend the contract.

Jonathan Djanogly: The terms of agreement reached between the LSC, Law Society and MoJ arising from the judgment of the Court of Appeal decision of November 2007 on the Law Society's Judicial Review of the Unified Civil Contract (2007) were included in the Deed of Settlement, which was made and published on the LSC website in April 2008. A copy of the deed and further details about it are available on the LSC website:
	http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/civil/agreement_law_society.asp
	On 2 April 2008 the Ministry of Justice tabled a written ministerial statement which was laid in both Houses along with a press release (see following link for the press release).
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease020408c.htm
	On 2 April 2008 the LSC published a news story on its website about this, and included a link to the news story in its regular LSC update e-mail which goes out every two weeks to legal aid providers and anyone else who has registered to receive it.

Legal Aid: Contracts

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what provisions in the Legal Services Commission's Unified Contract (Civil) 2007 provided for subsequent amendment to that contract.

Jonathan Djanogly: Clause 13 of the Unified Contract (Civil) 2007 Standard Terms provides for subsequent amendment to it.

Legal Aid: Contracts

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons the Legal Services Commission extended the Unified Contract (Civil) 2007 pursuant to clause 13.4 of the contract's standard terms; and what role the  (a) chair,  (b) chief executive and  (c) legal director had in such decisions.

Jonathan Djanogly: There have been several extensions of the Unified Contract (Civil) 2007. It was initially granted for three years from 1 April 2007 (to expire on 31 March 2010 unless lawfully ended or extended before then). On 23 December 2009 the LSC published notification that the contract would be extended to 14 October 2010. This extension was to take account of tenders for 2010 contracts opening in January to March 2010.
	The contract required notice of any further extension to be given at least three months before 31 March 2010, therefore it was necessary to revise this provision before any further extension. On 13 September 2010 a further extension of the contract to expire at midnight on 14 November 2010 was announced. This was to preserve the status quo pending the legal challenge brought by the Law Society. The extension provisions were amended pursuant to clause 13.4 of the contract's standard terms to provide for one month's notice for future extensions.
	All ER (D) 01 (Oct) which quashed the 2010 family tender two further extensions to the Unified Contract (2007) have been made (details are provided on the LSC website) for only the providers who currently deliver 'family only' and 'family and housing' publicly-funded legal services. The Unified Contract (Civil) 2007 as extended first until midnight on 14 December and then until midnight on 30 November 2011. This was necessary to ensure continued provision of services following quashing of the family law tenders for new contracts.
	The extension provisions of the contract were again amended this time pursuant to clause 13.2 (and not 13.4) of the Unified Contract (Civil) 2007 Standard Terms, in reliance on the above judgment. This approach was approved by the court at the final hearing.
	The decision to extend the contracts in light of the judicial review was made by the LSC Board in October 2010. The board consists of the chair and non-executive members, as well as the chief executive and finance director who have equal decision-making rights. The legal director was present when the decision was taken.

Legal Aid: Contracts

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps the Legal Services Commission has taken to  (a) record and  (b) process complaints made about its tendering exercises; and what have been the results of such steps.

Jonathan Djanogly: The LSC is committed to providing the best possible service for all its customers. It strives to maintain the highest standards of customer service and effective complaint handling. If the LSC cannot resolve a complaint internally, then it can be escalated to the parliamentary ombudsman.
	Complaints relating to the tender process have come in through several routes; as formal complaints, as claims for judicial review and as questions sent through the eTendering system.
	Complaints have been recorded separately, depending on the route through which they have been submitted, and dealt with through the appropriate process for that route.
	In early 2011 the LSC will undertake a lessons learned review of the tender process for both civil and crime 2010 contracts, which will consider feedback received from representative bodies and providers.

Legal Aid: Contracts

Rosie Cooper: ; and  (a) on what date and  (b) by what means such steps were taken.

Jonathan Djanogly: Staff have been updated about the developments relating to the tenders through regular communications since the summer. The chief executive, executive directors and the senior management team have kept staff updated via face-to-face briefings, intranet discussion forums and regular written and verbal updates, the exact dates of which have not been recorded.

Legal Aid: Contracts

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what role in the decision of the Legal Services Commission (LSC) to extend the 2007 unified contract under clause 13.4 of that contract was played by the  (a) chair,  (b) chief executive and  (c) legal director of the LSC.

Jonathan Djanogly: There have been several extensions of the Unified Contract (Civil) 2007. It was initially granted for three years from 1 April 2007 (to expire on 31 March 2010 unless lawfully ended or extended before then). On 23 December 2009 the LSC published notification that the contract would be extended to 14 October 2010. This extension was to take account of tenders for 2010 contracts opening in January to March 2010.
	The contract required notice of any further extension to be given at least three months before 31 March 2010, therefore it was necessary to revise this provision before any further extension. On 13 September 2010 a further extension of the contract to expire at midnight on 14 November 2010 was announced. This was to preserve the status quo pending the legal challenge brought by the Law Society. The extension provisions were amended pursuant to clause 13.4 of the contract's standard terms to provide for one month's notice for future extensions.
	All ER (D) 01 (Oct) which quashed the 2010 family tender, two further extensions to the Unified Contract (2007) have been made (details are provided on the LSC website) for only the providers who currently deliver "family only" and "family and housing" publicly funded legal services. The Unified Contract (Civil) 2007 was extended first until midnight on 14 December and then until midnight on 30 November 2011. This was necessary to ensure continued provision of services following quashing of the family law tenders for new contracts.
	The extension provisions of the contract were again amended this time pursuant to Clause 13.2 (and not 13.4) of the Unified Contract (Civil) 2007 Standard Terms, in reliance on the above judgment. This approach was approved by the court at the final hearing.
	The decision to extend the contracts in light of the judicial review was made by the LSC Board in October 2010. The board consists of the chair and non-executive members, as well as the chief executive and finance director who have equal decision-making rights. The legal director was present when the decision was taken.

Legal Services Commission

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Legal Services Commission spent on  (a) professional subscriptions and  (b) costs in connection with the employment of its Principal Legal Adviser in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10 and (iv) 2010-11.

Jonathan Djanogly: The following table shows the costs of practicing certificates for each of the financial years specified. These are the only subscription costs attributed solely to the Legal Director, although they are a requirement.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 1,050 
			 2008-09 1,045 
			 2009-10 1,310 
			 2010-11 438 
		
	
	The LSC's Legal Director has been employed at Senior Civil Service Band 1 during the time period specified and as such the salary has been in line with the range for this level. Since 1 April 2010 the Legal Director has been a member of the executive team and the salary details for the current financial year will therefore be published in the annual report and accounts for 2010-11. The salary range for this level is currently £58,200 to £117,800. In addition, the Legal Director also has a leased car partly funded by the LSC. The net costs to the LSC are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 3,174 
			 2008-09 5,503 
			 2009-10 5,265 
			 2010-11 to date 1,214

Legal Services Commission: Contracts

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the obligations of the Legal Services Commission are regarding notification as set out in clause 32 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006; and what the responsibilities are of the  (a) chair,  (b) chief executive and  (c) legal director in respect of compliance with such obligations.

Jonathan Djanogly: The LSC is under no obligation to comply with regulation 32 of the public contracts regulations (information about contract award procedures) in respect of its legal aid contracts. Regulation 32 does not apply to part B contracts, which include contracts for legal services.
	The LSC board is responsible for ensuring that the LSC maintains high standards of governance at all times. The chair and chief executive have equal decision-making rights on the board, and all meetings are usually attended by the legal director.
	The chief executive is responsible for the day-to-day operations and management of the LSC. The chief executive is responsible to the chair who is in turn responsible to the Lord Chancellor.

Legal Services Commission: Manpower

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff of the Legal, Commissioning and Operational Policy Department of the Legal Services Commission (LSC) with what job title were based in each of the LSC's offices on  (a) the latest date for which information is available,  (b) 31 March 2007,  (c) 31 March 2008,  (d) 31 March 2009 and  (e) 31 March 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: It is not possible to provide a response in the format requested except at disproportionate cost. The Legal, Commissioning and Operational Policy Department was created in May 2010 and the latest figures show there being 89 full-time equivalent staff members working from a variety of LSC offices.

Legal Services Commission: Training

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who gave authorisation, and in what form, for the participation of the Principal Legal Adviser to the Legal Services Commission (LSC) in an advanced management programme course; what conditions were set on her participation; what benefit the LSC has received from her participation; and what further benefit it expects to receive from her participation.

Jonathan Djanogly: The LSC's then chief executive, Carolyn Regan, authorised this course with approval from the LSC's HR director. No specific conditions were set on the legal director's participation. The leadership development course was targeted at specialists developing a broader range of management disciplines. The course has been beneficial to the LSC's organisational restructure in that the legal director now has responsibility for a larger department.

Legal Services Commission: Training

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Legal Services Commission spent on the provision of education and training courses in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09,  (c) 2009-10 and  (d) 2010-11; on what courses the money was spent; and who the provider was in each case.

Jonathan Djanogly: Total expenditure on training courses for each of the years specified is provided in the following table. It is not possible to split these costs down further by course or provider as to do so could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   £000 
			 2007-08 l,125 
			 2008-09 756 
			 2009-10 43 8 
			 2010-11 to date 104

Pleural Plaques: Compensation

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many payments under the Pleural Plaques Compensation Scheme have been made in Tyne and Wear; and how many such claims are being processed.

Jonathan Djanogly: A total of 584 applicants with a Tyne and Wear postcode have already been paid under the Pleural Plaques Scheme. There are currently 511 other cases being processed which have Tyne and Wear postcodes.

Pleural Plaques: Compensation

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the average amount of time taken to process a claim under the Pleural Plaques Compensation scheme.

Jonathan Djanogly: The average time taken to process an application based on completed cases is 41 working days. This includes the time that applicants are given to provide supporting information as well as the time that they are given to consider the offer before advising their acceptance. Separate figures for these stages are not available.

Prisoners' Release: Reoffenders

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which agency will be collecting data in respect of any re-offending by prisoners leaving HM Prison Peterborough under the provisions of the Social Impact Bond; and over what period such data will be collected.

Crispin Blunt: The impact of the Social Impact Bond pilot scheme on reoffending will be evaluated by an independent assessor. A competitive tender process to appoint the independent assessor is under way.
	The independent assessor will use a database compiled and maintained by the Ministry of Justice, based on data recorded on the Police National Computer by police forces in England and Wales.
	Evaluations will commence 18 months after each cohort closes. This delay is to allow for any crimes committed by the offenders following their release from prison to be detected, prosecuted and recorded on the Police National Computer.

Prisoners' Release: Reoffenders

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the most recent recidivism rate was for prisoners leaving HM Prison Peterborough.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice published the latest 'Compendium of reoffending statistics and analysis' on 4 November 2010. This publication included the latest available data on reconviction rates for individual prisons, covering the 2007 calendar year.
	The one-year reconviction rate of male prisoners discharged from HMP Peterborough in 2007 was 62.9% among those serving sentences of less than 12 months. For male offenders sentenced to 12 months or longer, the one-year reconviction rate was 35.0%.
	The one-year reconviction rate of female prisoners discharged from HMP Peterborough in 2007 was 62.9% among those serving sentences of less than 12 months. For female offenders sentenced to 12 months or longer, the one-year reconviction rate was 34.3%.
	These reconviction rates relate only to offenders who were discharged from HMP Peterborough at the end of their sentence. They do not take into account the actual proportion of the sentence that was served in the establishment, or those offenders who served part of their sentence in HMP Peterborough before being discharged from another prison.

Prisoners' Release: Reoffenders

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to the merits of extending the Social Impact Bond scheme to  (a) high risk, priority and prolific offenders and  (b) offenders serving long-term sentences.

Crispin Blunt: The Government have no plans to extend the terms of the current Social Impact Bond pilot at HMP Peterborough.
	On 7 December 2010, the Government set out in the Green Paper "Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders" its proposals to establish at least six new payment by results projects for reducing reoffending.
	These include two payments by results projects for offenders released from prison, focusing on those offenders who are sentenced to less than 12 months in prison, and two large scale projects for offenders managed on community sentences and those released on licence.
	The Government consider that it is not necessarily appropriate to apply a payment by results regime to the management of all offenders. For example, there is a case that those who pose a high risk to the public should be excluded, given that the focus of the supervising agencies participating in multi-agency public protection arrangements is on effectively managing the risk of harm which such offenders present. The Ministry of Justice is seeking to test this view as part of the Green Paper consultation process.

Prisoners' Release: Reoffenders

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to fund social sector organisations participating in the Peterborough pilot of the Social Impact Bond.

Crispin Blunt: Under the Social Impact Bond pilot, Social Finance will commission social sector organisations such as the St Giles Trust to deliver intensive services and mentoring to reduce reconvictions in 3,000 short-sentence (less than 12 months) prisoners released from HMP Peterborough. Social Finance will use significant new resources from social investors to fund this work.
	The Government will pay Social Impact Bond investors only if the scheme is successful in reducing reconvictions. Together with the Big Lottery Fund, the Government will pay for results if reconvictions fall by 10% in one of the three 1,000-offender cohorts, or by an aggregate of 7.5% across the three cohorts together. If these thresholds are not achieved, no payment will be made.

Prisoners' Release: Reoffenders

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Prison Service will take in respect of prisoners in HM Prison Peterborough who are eligible for the Social Impact Bond scheme and decline to participate in the pilot.

Crispin Blunt: All adult male offenders serving a sentence of less than 12 months at HMP Peterborough will automatically be included in the Social Impact Bond scheme upon their arrival at HMP Peterborough, until the pilot reaches capacity at 3,000 offenders.
	There is no mandatory requirement for prisoners to participate in the Social Impact Bond pilot. However, qualifying prisoners who decline participation, or disengage after initially taking part, will be able to join the programme and access services at any point later on, including after their discharge into the community.
	For the purposes of evaluating the success of the Social Impact Bond pilot, offenders who decline to participate will remain within the cohort and the frequency of the reconviction of non-participants will be taken into account by the independent assessor.

Remand in Custody: Prison Sentences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) men and  (b) women were remanded in custody in each of the last three years; and how many were given a custodial sentence in each such year.

Crispin Blunt: The estimated number of males and females remanded in custody who went on to receive a custodial sentence at magistrates courts and the Crown court in England and Wales 2007 to 2009 (latest currently available) is shown in the table.
	Data for 2010 are planned for publication in spring 2011.
	
		
			  Persons remanded in custody( 1)  who subsequently received a custodial sentence( 2)  at magistrates courts( 3)  and the Crown court( 4) , by sex, England and Wales 2007-09 
			  Persons (thousand) 
			   2007( 5)  2008( 6,7)  2009( 7) 
			  Males
			 Remanded in custody 68.3 78.2 67.6 
			 Of which immediate custody 36.1 40.8 40.6 
			 
			  Females
			 Remanded in custody 6.2 5.1 5.2 
			 Of which immediate custody 2.7 2.3 2.8 
			 (1) Includes those remanded in custody at any stage of proceedings at magistrates and the Crown court who may also have been given bail at some stage of those proceedings. (2) Includes detention in a young offender institution, detention and training orders and unsuspended imprisonment. (3) Magistrates courts figures exclude those committed for trial or sentence at the Crown court. (4) Crown court cases are not necessarily concluded in the same year as the committal therefore the figures presented may include cases where defendants were remanded in custody during earlier years than under which they are presented in this table. (5) Includes estimates for those offences omitted from data supplied. (6) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (7) Data for 2008 and 2009 are estimated.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services within the Ministry of Justice.

Reparation By Offenders

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much income was received by probation trusts through community payback schemes in 2009-10.

Crispin Blunt: Each probation trust is responsible for collecting and accounting for its own costs. The probation trust contract does not split out the amounts for each element of the probation service provided by the trust. The National Offender Management Service is currently finalising and agreeing each trust's costs for community payback as part of the specification, benchmarking and costing programme. This work is not yet complete.

Reparation By Offenders

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff of the probation service are engaged in delivering the community payback scheme.

Crispin Blunt: The latest available figures on the number of staff in the probation service working in community payback roles are shown in the following table, broken down into job group. It shows that on 31 July 2010 there were a total of 1,646.71 FTE permanent staff in post and an additional 688 casual staff (headcount) in these roles.
	
		
			  Permanent and casual staff in community payback roles, 31 July 2010 
			  Job group  Staff in post (FTE)  Casual staff (Headcount) 
			 Area/district manager 3.00 0 
			 Assistant chief officer 2.00 0 
			 Middle manager 92.46 0 
			 Other operational staff 365.27 326 
			 Other staff 79.64 21 
			 Probation officer 40.61 16 
			 Probation services officer 628.22 297 
			 Senior practitioner 11.00 0 
			
			  Support staff   
			 Administration 403.28 1 
			 Support staff-other 16.23 27 
			
			 Treatment manager 5.00 0 
			
			 Total 1,646.71 688

Restraint Techniques: Children

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which organisation has developed the restraint techniques under consideration by the Restraint Accreditation Board; what expertise that organisation has in  (a) children's human rights,  (b) working with traumatised children and  (c) child development; whether any other organisations were invited to make proposals for the development of new restraint techniques for use in children's custody; and what criteria were used in determining which organisation would be asked to develop restraint techniques for use in children's custody.

Crispin Blunt: The Independent Review of Restraint recommended that The National Tactical Response Group, part of the National Offender Management Service, develop a new approach to restraint for use in young offender institutions and secure training centres. Conflict Resolution Training (CRT) is currently being accredited by the Restraint Accreditation Board. The board is made up of child forensic psychiatrists, behaviour management specialists, physiotherapists, paediatricians, pathologists, academics, and operational experts.
	CRT has been developed in consultation with behaviour management specialists and experts from a range of settings, including; all sectors of the under-18s secure estate, health, mental health, independent training providers, third sector agencies, and academics.

Restraint Techniques: Children

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of the restraint techniques currently being considered by the Restraint Accreditation Board contain a component that allows the infliction of pain during the application of the technique.

Crispin Blunt: It is essential that approved and effective techniques are available to staff in custodial establishments who find themselves dealing with young people whose behaviour puts the young people themselves, or others, at risk of harm.
	There are currently a small number of restraint techniques that the Restraint Accreditation Board are considering as part of the proposed new Conflict Resolution Training package that incorporate the use of pain.

Restraint Techniques: Children

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Restraint Accreditation Board has sought human rights legal advice in its consideration of new restraint techniques for use in children's custody.

Crispin Blunt: The requirements of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the UN convention on rights of the child together with all other requirements of international and domestic law are taken into account by the Government in determining their policy and practice on the use of restraint in the under-18 secure estate. This will apply when the Government consider advice from the Restraint Accreditation Board on accrediting new restraint techniques.

Restraint Techniques: Children

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he expects identical accredited restraint techniques to be used in  (a) young offender institutions,  (b) secure training centres and  (c) local authority secure children's homes; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The Restraint Accreditation Board is currently considering whether to accredit a new approach to restraint for introduction into secure training centres and young offender institutions. We await their expert advice on whether the needs of young people in each secure estate sector require different approaches.

Supreme Court: Buildings

David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what timetable has been set for repair of the ground floor windows of the Supreme Court facing Parliament Square.

Jonathan Djanogly: During disturbances in Parliament Square and Broad Sanctuary in the afternoon and evening of 9 December, the Supreme Court had panes of glass in 14 ground floor windows broken, including the destruction of original 97 year old leaded lights. All the windows had secondary glazing and none of those was penetrated, albeit that one pane of the secondary glazing was damaged.
	The ordinary broken glazing in the 14 windows was replaced on 10 December. The window putty beads will be painted black in a few weeks' time when they have hardened.
	The bomb resistant pane of glass for the secondary glazing was replaced on 15 December.
	It is expected that the leaded lights will be returned from the restorer's workshop before the end of February 2011. For the time being, the windows have been glazed with plain glass.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Buildings: Community Development

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which community buildings have transferred ownership to parish groups in  (a) England and  (b) the UK in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 21 December 2010
	Information on the transfer of community buildings to parish groups is not held centrally. Information relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. For further, general information I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 16 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 930-31W.

Buildings: Timber

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the average timber content of new buildings in each of the last five years;
	(2)  whether his Department has made an assessment of the likely effects on the environment of the implementation of a statutory minimum level of use of timber in new building construction; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Department has made no estimate of the timber content of new buildings nor has it made any assessment of the effects of implementing a statutory minimum.
	Building regulations set requirements on the performance of completed buildings and do not prescribe how this performance should be achieved or what materials should be used. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is exploring the promotion of the use of timber in construction and we will work closely with DEFRA and external partners on this.

Commonwealth Local Government Forum

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department plans to provide to the biennial conference of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum.

Bob Neill: My right hon. Friend recognises the importance of Her Majesty's Government being represented at the biennial conference of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, and it is hoped that Baroness Hanham will attend the conference.

Community Relations

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding his Department provides to organisations that help migrant workers integrate into their local community.

Andrew Stunell: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to Lord Roberts of Llandudno by my hon. Friend Baroness Hanham on 22 July 2010,  Official Report,  House of  Lords, column 245WA.

Construction: Yorkshire and the Humber

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what financial assistance his Department has provided to the YORbuild Framework.

Bob Neill: The YORbuild Framework, for the efficient procurement of construction projects, was developed and implemented by YoHr Space, a locally owned and led partnership of authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber area (latterly the area's Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership).
	The Department provided annual, un-ringfenced funding to YoHr Space from 2004-05 to 2010-11 inclusive to support its development of a range of projects designed to help authorities improve service delivery and achieve greater value for money. YoHr Space confirms that £475,000 of this funding has been used in support of YORbuild.

Deaths: Weather

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions his Department has had with local authorities on steps to reduce the number of elderly people who die because of cold weather.

Andrew Stunell: My Department has had no such discussions but I encourage local authorities to work with their local NHS partners on the recently launched Keep Warm Keep Well campaign. The campaign provides advice on staying warm over the winter and staying in touch with people who may be vulnerable during cold weather, including the elderly, in order to reduce illness and deaths.

Departmental Press Releases

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions his Department has provided embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010; in respect of how many such briefings his Department was informed that the embargo had been breached; what steps were taken as a result of each such breach; and on how many occasions his Department has provided media briefings without an embargo prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not provided any embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many copies of each publication to which his Department subscribes it received in  (a) June,  (b) July and  (c) August 2010.

Bob Neill: We have interpreted this question as asking about hard copy corporate subscriptions to journals and publications. The Department also purchases subscriptions for the Department for Transport under a shared service agreement.
	Identifying such subscriptions and any subscriptions purchased outside of the corporate agreement could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Ministers have made £15,000 a year of revenue savings by consolidating the seven sets of papers and periodicals that Ministers and special advisers were receiving. As outlined in my answer of 7 December 2010,  Official Report, column 178W, significant savings have been made in relation to the wasteful and excessive spending on press cutting that Ministers inherited from the last Administration.
	The information requested has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Departmental Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible have taken to comply with the Guidance of the Office of Government Commerce on promoting skills through public procurement issued in 2009.

Bob Neill: The Department has issued guidance to all its buyers, agencies and non-departmental bodies specifically on apprenticeships and small to medium enterprises.
	Details of any activities undertaken by the Department's agencies and non- departmental bodies are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Empty Property

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he made of the number of vacant properties in the  (a) social and  (b) private rented sector in (i) England, (ii) Leeds and (iii) Leeds North West constituency in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stunell: Information is not collected by constituency nor is information collected on the number of vacant dwellings in the private rented sector.
	The Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) collects information from local authorities on the number of vacant dwellings within each local authority area as at 1 April.
	The Regulatory Statistical Return is collected by the Tenant Services Authority and collects information on vacant dwellings from housing associations as at 31 March. However, the number of vacant dwellings recorded includes general needs dwellings only.
	The following table shows the number of vacant dwellings owned by local authorities and housing associations in Leeds and England in each year for the past five years.
	
		
			  Vacant social housing dwellings, as at 1 April for local authority and as at 31 March for housing association 
			  Number 
			   Local authority  Housing a ssociation 
			  2006   
			 Leeds 1,241 281 
			 England 42,891 30,892 
			
			  2007   
			 Leeds 1,757 218 
			 England 40,963 32,077 
			
			  2008   
			 Leeds 1,979 183 
			 England 36,944 30,799 
			
			  2009   
			 Leeds 1,869 197 
			 England 34,555 33,451 
			
			  2010   
			 Leeds 1,433 155 
			 England 31,089 27,946 
			  Note:  Housing association dwellings includes general needs dwellings only.  Sources:  1. For local authority vacants, Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA).  2. For housing association vacants, Regulatory Statistical Return collected by the Tenant Services Authority.

Entertainments

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on staff entertainment since 1 June 2010.

Bob Neill: We have interpreted entertainment to mean attendance at spectator type events such as concerts or sports. Departmental records show no such expenditure since 1 June 2010.

Flood Control

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contingency plans  (a) his Department and  (b) local authorities have made to respond to flooding resulting from melting snow.

Bob Neill: My Department is the lead Government Department for the national coordination of recovery from all sources of flooding in England. The Department has a dedicated team to coordinate Government activity to support recovery as required. This includes 24/7 duty cover and resilience teams across the country who work closely with local responders to enable central Government to provide support to local areas if required.
	The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the lead Government Department for the central response to flooding events.
	The Civil Contingencies Act (2004) requires Category One Responders (such as local authorities, police and fire and rescue authorities) to have plans in place to respond to all emergencies. For many parts of England, flooding poses a significant risk and is well recognised within many Community Risk Registers.
	Most local authorities, and the Local Resilience Forums of which they are part, have multi-agency flood plans, based on guidance produced by central Government, which set out their response and recovery plans to flooding. They also benefit from the daily flood forecasts from the Flood Forecasting Centre, which include assessments of the risk of flooding from snow melt at an individual county level.

Homelessness

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when he expects to announce his plans for the future of the Homelessness Basic Revenue Grant;
	(2)  what the total monetary value was of grants provided by his Department to tackle homelessness in  (a) London and  (b) England since 6 May 2010;
	(3)  how much funding his Department provided for measures to tackle homelessness in each year from 1997-98 to 2009-10.

Grant Shapps: We announced as part of the spending review outcome that we will invest £400 million in Preventing Homelessness Grant over the next four years to support the work of local authorities and the voluntary sector, maintaining current levels of investment. Allocations of Preventing Homelessness Grant for local authorities were published on 13 December 2010 as part of the provisional local Government settlement for 2010-11. This can be found on the Department's website at
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/specgrant1112/index.htm
	Since May 2010, we have allocated £70.9 million in homelessness grant to local authorities in England, of which £37.6 million was to local authorities in London. This included £10 million to support London authorities in their preparatory work for implementation of the housing benefit reforms. We have also allocated £20.7 million directly to voluntary sector organisations.
	The following table gives homelessness grant spend from 1997-98 to 2009-10.
	
		
			  Homelessness Grant Spend 1997-98 to 2009-10 
			  £  million 
			   LA  Voluntary sector  Total 
			 1997-98 0 15.8 15.8 
			 1998-99 0 19.6 19.6 
			 1999-2000 3.1 22.6 25.7 
			 2000-01 2.9 28.6 31.5 
			 2001-02 3.5 36.6 40.1 
			 2002-03 48.2 25.0 73.2 
			 2003-04 50.6 20.3 70.9 
			 2004-05 45.4 14.8 60.2 
			 2005-06 44.7 15 59.7 
			 2006-07 49.5 18 67.5 
			 2007-08 51 19.5 70.5 
			 2008-09 59.5 17.1 76.5 
			 2009-10 59.5 18.4 77.9

Housing Benefit

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether individuals not in accommodation owing to an inability to pay rents under the proposed changes to local housing allowance may be declared intentionally homeless.

Grant Shapps: Under the homelessness legislation that applies to England (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) a person becomes intentionally homeless if he or she is required to leave accommodation as a consequence of his or her own deliberate behaviour, and, but for that behaviour, it would have been reasonable for that person to continue to occupy the accommodation. A person who does not have accommodation owing to an inability to pay rents may or may not have become intentionally homeless, depending on the circumstances of the case. However, it is for local housing authorities to make decisions in individual cases.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have unallocated financial reserves of over  (a) 10 per cent.,  (b) 20 per cent.,  (c) 30 per cent.,  (d) 40 per cent. and  (e) 50 per cent. of their budget for 2010-11.

Bob Neill: I have today placed in the Library of the House a table that gives, by each local authority in England, and for each class of local authority in England, the budgeted non-school reserve level and unallocated reserve level figures at 31 March 2011. Included in this table are also total non-school and unallocated reserve levels at 31 March 2011 as a percentage of budgeted revenue expenditure in the financial year 2010-11.
	Reserves set aside for a specific purpose by local authorities are known as 'earmarked reserves'. Some will reflect statutory constraints on the use of some categories of income, such as on-street parking charges.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many representations his Department has received on reductions in the formula grant for 2011-12.

Bob Neill: The consultation on the provisional Local Government Finance settlement for 2011-12 was announced by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on 13 December 2010, and will continue until 17 January 2011. A number of representations on our proposals have been received, and I expect more.

Local Government Finance

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the level of cost inflation in respect of local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Local Government Finance: Nottingham

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the largest formula change component is in the local government grant allocation he made in his announcement of 13 December 2010 in respect of the 8.4 per cent. reduction in spending power for Nottingham city council.

Bob Neill: The four components to the changes in an individual authority's allocation of formula grant are changes in:
	the size of the relative needs and relative resource blocks;
	control totals;
	methodology; and
	data.
	No formal analysis of this kind has been undertaken, but the change in control totals is likely to be the main driver. The changes to the distribution formulae are set out in the consultation paper on the provisional settlement.

Local Government Finance: Nottingham

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department has identified as the most statistically significant change in the new formula for the Supporting People allocation announced on 13 December 2010 in respect of the reduction affecting Nottingham city council compared with the formula used in 2010-11.

Grant Shapps: The Supporting People allocation as described in annex K of the draft "Local Government Finance Report (England) 2011/2012" remains unchanged from the underlying formula used for the 2010-11 allocations. The data used have been updated.
	The previous Administration removed the ring fence for Supporting People funding in April 2009. In distributing the 2010-11 Supporting People allocations via area-based grant, the allocations to local authorities were damped to ensure that no authority received a large cut year-on-year. Since Supporting People was one of the services transferred into formula grant from 2011-12, it is no longer damped separately but instead is included in the damping applied to total formula grant which also ensures that no authority receives a large cut year-on-year on a like-for-like basis.
	I have written an open letter to the leader of Nottingham city council which sets out how funding for vulnerable people has been protected and clarifies how the local government finance system works in relation to the 'formula grant', which includes funding for Supporting People, that Nottingham city council will receive. I have placed a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Local Government Finance: Worcestershire

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the average change in grant funding to each district council in Worcestershire in 2011-12.

Bob Neill: The provisional local government finance settlements for 2011-12 and 2012-13 were announced by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on 13 December 2010. Details of the provisional settlement for 2011-12, and of the local government finance settlement for 2010-11, are available at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ssas.htm

Members: Correspondence

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Hartlepool of 26 July 2010, in respect of his constituent Mr Richard Wilson and building regulations.

Andrew Stunell: 1 have now replied to the hon. Member's correspondence.

Migrant Impact Fund

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future  (a) funding of and  (b) distribution of funding by the Migrant Impact Fund.

Andrew Stunell: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to Lord Roberts of Llandudno by my hon. Friend Baroness Hanham on 22 July 2010,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column 245WA.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2010,  Official Report, column 480W, on planning permission: appeals, whether he plans to put in place measures to prevent local authorities from granting permission for developments that are not in accordance with locally agreed plans; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: Legislation already requires local authorities to make planning decisions that are in accordance with the statutory development plan-unless material considerations dictate otherwise. The Localism Bill includes provisions to establish neighbourhood plans which when adopted would become part of the statutory development plan.

Planning Permission: Community Development

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in respect of what types of development he plans to enable neighbourhood residents to exercise planning control.

Bob Neill: Communities will be able to use neighbourhood planning to set policies for, and enable the delivery of, a wide range of development schemes including residential, commercial and leisure development proposals. The scope of neighbourhood planning is flexible. It will be for communities to determine the issues or areas to cover and what level of detail they want to provide.
	However, certain types and classes of development are not considered appropriate for neighbourhood planning-either because of their scale, their impacts or their complexity. These include most types of waste development, all minerals applications, all nationally significant infrastructure projects and development proposals which fall within Annex 1 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (e. g. oil refineries). These exclusions are set out in Schedule 9. section 61L. of the Localism Bill.
	We have also taken a power in the Localism Bill to prescribe further types or classes of development which are not considered appropriate for neighbourhood planning.

Planning Permission: Community Development

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to bring forward proposals to enable communities to hold referendums on industrial or commercial developments which require permission from a planning authority.

Bob Neill: Where an individual planning application is submitted for determination by the local planning authority, it will be for that authority to decide whether or not permission should be granted. In taking such decisions a local planning authority must have regard to the local development plan for its area (which will incorporate any relevant neighbourhood development plans) and any other material considerations. (It is unlikely that the fact that there has been a "yes" or "no" vote in a referendum on a specific development proposal would be a material consideration-i.e about the planning merits of an application-which the local planning authority could take into account). Individual planning applications would not be determined by referendum.
	Local referendums on any issue should not be confused with referendums as part of the Localism Bill's neighbourhood planning provisions. Under these provisions, a community can bring forward a neighbourhood development order which permits certain types of development (e.g. for commercial development) in outline or full in their neighbourhood. A community referendum must be held into any neighbourhood development order.

Public Sector: Employment

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to reduce dependence of local areas on public sector employment; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: In our White Paper 'Local Growth: Realising Every Place's Potential' Government set out a new approach to local growth that is based on decentralisation and localism. Top down targets will be replaced with incentives for local action, and regional agencies and strategies are being removed so local communities can set their own priorities. Local enterprise partnerships are coming on stream, reflecting natural economic geographies rather than imposed and artificial regional boundaries.
	Some places have developed an over-reliance on public sector employment and we want to support them in the process of adjustment. That adjustment will involve a bigger role for the private sector, and the £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund has been established to help achieve this in those places that are over-reliant on public sector employment.

Regional Planning and Development

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to local planning authorities on regional spatial strategies since 25 November 2010.

Greg Clark: On 10 November there was a written ministerial statement and the chief planner wrote to all local planning authorities about regional strategies. These can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/statements/corporate/localismbillplanning
	A note on the status of the chief planner's letter in the light of current legal proceedings can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/letterabolitionregional

Social Rented Housing: Norfolk

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social houses have been built in  (a) Norwich South constituency and  (b) Norfolk in each year since 1997; and how many social houses he estimates will be built in (i) Norwich South constituency and (ii) Norfolk in each of the next two years.

Andrew Stunell: The available information, showing the number of new build affordable homes delivered for each local authority district in Norfolk, is provided in the table. This information is not collected by parliamentary constituency.
	Not all affordable housing is provided through new build completions as supply can also come from the acquisition and refurbishment of private sector homes. In 2009-10, for example, a total of 1,220 affordable homes were provided in Norfolk through new building, acquisition and refurbishment.
	The Department does not forecast levels of future house building as delivery will be determined by local housing plans.
	
		
			  New build affordable homes supplied by local authority district in Norfolk 
			   Breckland  Broadland  Great Yarmouth  Kings Lynn and West Norfolk  North Norfolk  Norwich  South Norfolk  Total 
			 1997-98 200 140 30 80 70 60 20 590 
			 1998-99 70 60 70 30 30 40 50 350 
			 1999-2000 120 70 70 20 50 30 20 370 
			 2000-01 30 60 0 30 50 100 40 300 
			 2001-02 30 130 30 60 50 140 20 450 
			 2002-03 50 50 20 40 0 60 90 310 
			 2003-04 20 50 50 70 20 120 20 340 
			 2004-05 90 60 20 70 140 180 10 560 
			 2005-06 70 90 40 120 50 230 60 670 
			 2006-07 50 110 20 110 80 240 150 760 
			 2007-08 70 80 50 210 50 390 270 1,130 
			 2008-09 250 110 30 180 50 350 470 1,440 
			 2009-10 240 80 40 170 40 170 230 960 
			  Note: Figures rounded to nearest 10 homes.  Source: Homes and Communities Agency; Local authorities

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to announce his plans for the future of the Generations Together Grant.

Tim Loughton: I have been asked to reply.
	The generations together grant was used to fund the demonstration intergenerational programme, Generations Together, which will cease in March 2011. After this date future intergenerational work will be a matter for local partners, who may wish to work with those local authorities who took part in the demonstration programme.

TREASURY

Annuities

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average change in the number of people purchasing an annuity from a provider other than their existing pension provider was in each year since the review of the Open Market Option commenced.

Mark Hoban: The Government do not collect data on purchasing of annuities. However, the Association of British Insurers has provided the following figures for the proportion of people purchasing an annuity from a provider other than their pension provider:
	
		
			   Percentage buying from alternative provider  Change from previous year 
			 2006 32 - 
			 2007 37 +5 
			 2008 35 -2 
			 2009 36 +1 
			 2010 (to Q3) 41 +5

Companies: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs takes to ensure that a company registered as dormant is not trading; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs checks, on a risk basis, whether there is evidence that a company claiming to be inactive is actually active. These checks include reviewing Companies House records, other HM Revenue and Customs records, and third party information.

Companies: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions HM Revenue and Customs initiated a request for a company to be struck off the Register of Companies in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs has no record of initiating any request.

Companies: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether HM Revenue and Customs requests information from banks on accounts held for UK registered limited companies for the purposes of comparison with lists of dormant companies; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs can and does request information from banks in appropriate cases when checking whether a company has come within the charge to corporation tax.

Companies: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to how many notices of intention to strike a company from the Register of Companies HM Revenue and Customs raised an objection in each tax year since 2007-08.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs objected to the following number of notices of intention to strike a company from the Register of Companies.
	
		
			   England and Wales 
			 2007-08 14,587 
			 2008-09 50,917 
			 2009-10 56,126 
		
	
	HM Revenue and Customs do not keep a central record in relation to the Register of Companies, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Companies: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the five reasons HM Revenue and Customs has most frequently given in objection to the striking off of a company from the Register of Companies since 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: For reasons of taxpayer confidentially, HM Revenue and Customs do not give Companies House a reason for objecting to the striking off of a company from the Register of Companies. HM Revenue and Customs write to the company explaining why an objection has been made. The precise reasons can vary from cases to case. The most common reasons are that the company owes money to HM Revenue and Customs, that an inquiry is being conducted into the company's tax affairs, or that a Corporation Tax return is outstanding.

Companies: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many notices of intention to strike a company from the Register of Companies HM Revenue and Customs received in the tax year  (a) 2007-8,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs received the following number of notices of intention to strike a company from the Register of Companies for England and Wales:
	2007-08: 298,295
	2008-09:331,968
	2009-10: 426,730.
	HM Revenue and Customs does not keep a central record of the number of notices of intention to strike a company from Register of Companies for Scotland or Northern Ireland received for these years.

Companies: Registration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases where HM Revenue and Customs raised objection to the striking off of a company by the Register of Companies was that objection acted upon in  (a) 2007-8,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10; in how many such cases was additional tax revenue raised as a result in each such year; and how much additional revenue was raised in each such year.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs keeps no central record of action taken by Companies House following an objection to the striking off of a company. Such objections might be made by several parties in relation to any proposal. HM Revenue and Customs keep no central record of the amount of tax protected as the result of objecting to the striking off of companies.

Consumer Protection and Markets Authority: Public Appointments

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give the Treasury Select Committee the power of veto over the appointment of the Chief Executive of the Consumer Protection and Markets Authority.

Mark Hoban: The process for selecting a chief executive-designate of the new CPMA has commenced. The successful candidate will join the Financial Services Authority (FSA) as a managing director and main board member until the CPMA is established, at which point they will take up their role as the head of the new organisation. The appointment will be made in line with the normal process for appointing FSA executives, which does not include a role for the Treasury Select Committee.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies which submitted form CT41G Dormant Company Insert in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10 were granted dormant company status and were not asked to submit corporation tax returns; and how many other companies were granted exemption from filing corporation tax returns on the grounds that they claimed to be dormant companies in each such year.

David Gauke: The number of companies at the beginning of each tax year for which HM Revenue and Customs had not issued a notice to deliver a return of corporation tax is in the following table.
	
		
			  As at 1 April each year  Number 
			 2007 589,923 
			 2008 658,126 
			 2009 838,370 
		
	
	This includes companies treated as inactive and newly incorporated companies that were not yet due to deliver a return.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a standard period of exemption from filing corporation tax returns was granted to companies which claimed to be dormant in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: There is no exemption from filing a tax return for Corporation Tax. HM Revenue and Customs reviews companies treated as inactive on a risk basis, and in all cases reviews companies that it has recorded as being inactive every five years.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many inquiries into the suspected abuse of dormant company status for corporation tax purposes were undertaken in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

David Gauke: Where HM Revenue and Customs suspects that a company that was treated as inactive has come within the charge to Corporation Tax but has not informed the Department, a notice requiring a return to be delivered is sent. The Department does not keep a central record of how many notices requiring a return are sent in such cases.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value was of penalties charged in respect of late submission of corporation tax returns in respect of accounting periods ending in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

David Gauke: The information is held in relation to account years running from 1 November to 31 October. The amounts, rounded to the nearest £100,000, were as follows:
	November 2006 to October 2007: £191,100,000
	November 2007 to October 2008: £232,200,000
	November 2008 to October 2009: £207,700,000
	November 2009 to October 2010: £327,600,000.
	The following amounts were discharged as allowed by law or on an appeal in each of the four years:
	November 2008 to October 2007: £91,400,000
	November 2007 to October 2008: £51,600,000
	November 2008 to October 2009: £198,700,000
	November 2009 to October 2010: £225,900,000.
	The discharged amounts relate to penalties charged in the year or in an earlier year.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of how many  (a) CT41G and  (b) CT41G Dormant Company Insert forms submitted to HM Revenue and Customs in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10 HM Revenue and Customs undertook an investigation.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not conduct investigations into CT41Gs or CT41G Dormant Company Insert forms as such. Checks are made, on the basis of risk, to provide assurance that companies that have not been required to deliver a return are not chargeable to corporation tax.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies which submitted HM Revenue and Customs forms CT41G in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10 also submitted form CT41G Dormant Company Insert in each such year.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not record this information.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many CT41G forms HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) sent to newly-formed companies in tax years  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10; and how many such completed forms HMRC received in each such year.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs sent the following number of forms CT41G:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2007-08 436,179 
			 2008-09 333,224 
			 2009-10 345,137 
		
	
	The number completed and returned is not recorded.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value was of corporation tax penalties waived in respect of  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

David Gauke: The information is held in relation to account years running from 1 November to 31 October. The amounts of penalties remitted, rounded to the nearest £100,000, were as follows:
	November 2006 to October 2007: £35,000,000
	November 2007 to October 2008: £42,300,000
	November 2008 to October 2009: £89,600,000
	November 2009 to October 2010: £88,000,000.
	Amounts remitted are not formally waived and can be reinstated if new considerations come to light.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value was of penalties levied but unpaid in respect of late submission of corporation tax returns in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

David Gauke: Outstanding amounts charged and not discharged, remitted or paid, rounded to the nearest £100,000, were as follows:
	31 October 2007: £237,300,000
	31 October 2008: £338,700,000
	31 October 2009: £248,500,000
	31 October 2010: £228,100,000.
	These unpaid amounts relate to penalties charged in the year or in an earlier year.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average duration was of an exemption from filing corporation tax returns granted to a company which claimed to be dormant in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10.

David Gauke: A company must deliver a return if it receives a notice from HM Revenue and Customs requiring it to do so. The Department issues notices to companies that it believes to be active, and thus within the charge to the tax because they are active. A company must inform the Department if it has become chargeable to corporation tax but has not received a notice requiring it to deliver a return. The period for which a company might not be active depends on the circumstances of the company.
	HM Revenue and Customs could not provide information about the average duration for which it treats companies as inactive without disproportionate cost.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many corporation tax payers submitted a corporation tax return to HM Revenue and Customs in respect of an accounting period ending in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10; how many of those declared profits giving rise to corporation tax liability in each such year; what the combined (i) monetary value of such profits and (ii) associated liability for corporation tax was in each such year; how many returns declared a loss in each year; what the combined monetary value of such losses was in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: No figures are available for  (c) 2009-10 because corporation tax returns are submitted up to 12 months after the end of an accounting period.
	Figures for the number of companies with chargeable profits and the amount of these profits along with the tax charge for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09 are given in table T11.3 on HMRC's website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/11-3-corporation-tax.pdf
	The number of companies submitting a tax return in  (a) 2007-08 is estimated at 1.68 million and in  (b) 2008-09 is estimated at 1.83 million.
	The number of returns with gross trading losses in  (a) 2007-08 is estimated at 330,000 with an amount of £82.8 billion and in  (b) 2008-09 is estimated at 390,000 with an amount of £161.8 billion.

Debts: EU Countries

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with its international counterparts on the sustainability of sovereign debt amongst countries in the Eurozone.

Justine Greening: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Departmental Buildings

David Tredinnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what timetable has been set for the repair of the ground floor windows in his Department's building facing Parliament Square and Whitehall.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply 
	as the windows that were damaged were in HM Revenue and Customs' office at 100 Parliament street.
	Repairs to the windows are expected to commence in January 2011.

Departmental Overtime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on overtime for staff working in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's private office in each of the last five years.

Justine Greening: Staff overtime payments made since 2005-06 in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's private office are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2005-06 21,611 
			 2006-07 26,177 
			 2007-08 23,307 
			 2008-09 33,083 
			 2009-10 31,724

Departmental Sponsorship

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what expenditure  (a) his Department and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies incurred on sponsorship in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Justine Greening: Neither the Treasury nor the Royal Mint Advisory Committee has incurred any spending on sponsorship since 2002-03. Information on spending prior to 2002-03 is no longer available due to the introduction of a new accounting system at that time.

Disability Living Allowance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has made an equality impact assessment of the likely effects of changes in disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply.
	We are currently running a public consultation on the proposed changes to disability living allowance. The consultation seeks views on our proposals to inform the development of firm proposals. We are considering equality impacts as the policy develops and will produce an Equality Impact Assessment at the same time as the legislation passes through Parliament.

Fraud: Compensation

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals for a compensation scheme for individuals who have experienced financial loss due to parties who have acted fraudulently or have changed legal identity.

Mark Hoban: The Government have no plans to propose such a scheme.

Housing Benefit

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether his estimate of savings from reforms to tax credits and housing benefit have taken into account increases in housing benefit entitlement attributable to changes in tax credit entitlement;
	(2)  what plans he has to  (a) monitor and  (b) record changes to expenditure on housing benefit which is attributable to changes in his Department's budget for tax credits;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the likely change in expenditure on housing benefit attributable to his proposed reduction in the proportion of childcare costs to be covered by the childcare element of working tax credit.

David Gauke: Full details of the savings from reforms to tax credits and housing benefit are available in the published document "Spending Review 2010 policy costings", available on HM Treasury's website at:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_policycostings.pdf

Linklaters

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what work his Department has commissioned from Linklaters in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of the contracts for such work in each such year.

Justine Greening: HM Treasury has commissioned the following work from Linklaters in the period from 1 April 2005 to 31 March 1010. HM Treasury has not commissioned work from Linklaters in the current financial year.
	
		
			  Financial year  Advice  Monetary value (£000) 
			 2005-06 Advice in relation to Credit Guaranteed Finance 252 
			 2006-07 n/a 0 
			 2007-08 Advice in relation to Credit Guaranteed Finance 15 
			 2008-09 Establishment of and advice to Infrastructure Finance Unit Limited 255 
			  Advice in relation to financial stability contingency planning 65 
			 2009-10 Advice to Infrastructure UK 52

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 11 November 2010 concerning Ms K Chung.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs sent a reply to the right hon. Gentleman on my behalf on 23 December 2010 and they apologise for the delay in doing so.

National Savings and Investment Fixed Interest Savings Certificates

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the withdrawal of National Savings and Investment Fixed Interest Savings Certificates from the market is a temporary measure.

Justine Greening: National Savings and Investments (NS&I) expect Fixed Interest Savings Certificates to remain off sale for at least the rest of this financial year (end March 2011). Sales volumes in the first part of this year far exceeded those either anticipated or required by NS&I under their net financing target. NS&I continue to follow a policy of acting transparently and balancing the interests of their savers, the taxpayer and the stability of the wider financial services market. The position will be kept under regular review and sales will be resumed when NS&I can be confident that conditions will enable them to operate within and to their publicly agreed targets.

Non-domestic Rates: Rural Areas

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of extending business rate relief to businesses in rural areas with poor broadband provision.

Bob Neill: I have been asked to reply.
	We have no plans to provide a specific business rates relief for rural areas with poor broadband provision. However, we are bringing forward powers, through the Localism Bill, to allow local authorities to grant discounts on business rates bills, as they see fit.

North East

Alan Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Ministers of his Department have visited the North East since their appointment; and what the  (a) date and  (b) purpose was of each such visit.

Justine Greening: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings in all parts of the country with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Pensions

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals for a pensions saving fund that would enable access to the sums accrued during  (a) periods of unemployment and  (b) other periods before retirement.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 20 December 2010
	The Government are committed to a fair and sustainable pensions system which encourages pension saving and allows individuals appropriate flexibility to plan for their retirement.
	Early access to private pension savings is an area the Government are keen to consider in this context. The Treasury published a call for evidence on 13 December, which follows the commitment in the Coalition Agreement to explore the potential to allow early access to pension savings.
	The document seeks evidence from interested parties on the extent to which early access to pension savings may help encourage higher levels of retirement saving by giving increased flexibility to individuals, or help those facing certain instances of hardship, such as unemployment or repossession of their home.
	The Government are also keen to understand the potential administrative burdens any reform may place on industry.
	The call for evidence is open until 25 February 2011. Based on the responses received, the Government will then consider whether there is a case to develop a firm proposal in this area.

Revenue and Customs: Debt Collection

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the business case for HM Revenue and Customs for outsourcing the collection of tax debts of the value of £10,000 and under;
	(2)  how many debt collection agencies have secured contracts with HM Revenue and Customs to collect tax debts; and what mechanisms are in place to regulate activities relating to the collection of tax debt.

David Gauke: The expanded use of debt collection agencies (DCAs) in 2010-and, as announced in the spending review, also now in subsequent years to 2015-builds on earlier work where HMRC successfully piloted the use of DCAs in 2009-10.
	The pilot demonstrated that DCAs can be used cost-effectively and securely to collect debt on HMRC's behalf and without compromise to HMRC's high quality standards. HMRC subsequently published an evaluation report on the pilot-available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/cap-cap-pilot.pdf
	During 2010-11 HMRC will use the services of four private sector DCAs drawn from an existing government framework contract. Contractual arrangements have not yet been finalised beyond 2010-11.
	HMRC require DCAs working on its behalf to comply with strict codes of conduct and the contracts require that they maintain HMRC standards in relation to customer service, data security and professionalism. There is a robust audit and assurance process in place which builds on the experience gained during the 2009-10 pilot.

Revenue and Customs: Debt Collection

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax debts recorded by HM Revenue and Customs were of the value of  (a) £10,000 or under and  (b) over £10,000 in the last five financial years for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The information requested is not centrally collated and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs: Email

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on the use of e-mail by those wishing to contact HMRC who are profoundly deaf and who indicate that they are prepared to enter into an agreement to indemnify HMRC against any breach of confidentiality arising from the use of e-mail.

David Gauke: In recognition of the value of e-mail contact to customers, HMRC has developed a range of structured and secure econtact solutions for use by all of its customers, including those who are deaf and hard of hearing. These solutions are only introduced where HMRC is certain about the authenticity of the person sending the e-mail and where there are strong controls around the data being sent. These restrictions apply even where the customer is prepared to accept the risk of a breach of confidentiality occurring.

Students: Loans

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the effect of student loan repayments, including the repayment of new loans, on the Government's cash requirement for each of the next 10 years under  (a) the newly-proposed system for higher education funding and  (b) its predecessor system;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the effect of issuing student loans, not net of repayments, on the Government's cash requirement for each of the next 10 years under  (a) his proposed system for higher education funding and  (b) the present system.

David Willetts: I have been asked to reply.
	Using estimates of the gross cash outlay on student loans and graduate repayments supplied by my Department, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published its assessment in November of the effect on the Government's net cash requirement of all the student loans BIS expects to issue and the increase attributable to new arrangements in each of the next financial year until 2015-16. No estimates have been made beyond 2015-16 and none have been made of the Government's cash requirement excluding repayments since that is a measure of net spending. The following table reproduces the figures in the OBR's report. Since most repayments relate to loans made several years previously and students need not make any contribution until they have graduated and are earning over £21,000 under the new system, there would be no significant difference in repayments between the old and the new systems in the years covered by the OBR's report.
	
		
			  Impact of student loans on central Government net cash requirement 
			  £ billion 
			   2010-11  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15  2015-16 
			 All student loans (cost of net outlay) 4.1 4.3 5.4 7.3 9.3 10.7 
			 Effect of new policies 0.0 0.0 0.7 2.5 4.3 5.6

Tax Yields: Harlow

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total tax receipts from Harlow constituency in each year since 2000.

David Gauke: Estimated income tax liabilities by parliamentary constituency for 2002-03 to 2007-08, based on the Survey of Personal Incomes, can be found in Table 3.15 'Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency' on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu.htm
	Any inference from the information in table 3.15 should take into account the confidence intervals in table 3.15a 'Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency, Confidence Intervals'. Estimates for earlier periods are not available.
	Information on income tax receipts and receipts from other taxes is not available at parliamentary constituency level.

Taxation: Arts

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has made an assessment of the effect of withholding tax on creative industries at source on a territorial basis in the creative industries on  (a) multi-territory licensing of copyright and  (b) the competitiveness of the UK as a location for the creative industries; and whether he plans to have discussions with his EU counterparts on this issue;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on the practice of withholding tax at source for copyright royalty income in the music and other creative industries; and what recent assessment he has made of the effects of this practice on the UK economy.

David Gauke: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.
	No assessment has been made during this parliament of the impact of withholding tax on the creative industries.
	Withholding tax affecting UK creative industries is largely levied by other countries and any changes therefore require international agreement. In the EU this could involve significant extension to the interest and royalties directive, and the Government would have to weigh this against their commitment to no further transfer of sovereignty to Europe over the course of this Parliament.

Taxation: Self-Assessment

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much revenue was generated from SA300 statement of account forms for amounts less than the administrative cost to HM Revenue and Customs of processing the form in the last five years;
	(2)  how much was spent by HM Revenue and Customs on processing SA300 statement of account forms for amounts less than the administrative cost of processing the form in the last five years;
	(3)  how many SA300 statement of account forms were processed for amounts less than the administrative cost to HM Revenue and Customs of processing the form in the last five years;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the average cost to HM Revenue and Customs of processing a SA300 statement of account form.

David Gauke: The information is available only at disproportionate cost.

UK Banks: Ireland

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from UK banks on the Government's response to the banking and credit situation in the Republic of Ireland.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 21 December 2010
	The Government have various meetings with banks on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues. Consistent with previous practice the details of such discussions are not published.

VAT

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the distributional effect on each income decile of the population in  (a) the UK and  (b) Scotland of the change to the basic rate of value added tax.

David Gauke: Annex A of the Budget document sets out the impact of Budget measures, including the rise in the standard rate of VAT. Charts A1 and 2 show the impact of measures across the income distribution, in both absolute terms and as a proportion of income. Charts A3 and 4 set out the impact of the VAT rise alone across the expenditure distribution, in absolute terms and as a proportion of income. This analysis shows the impact across the UK. Lower level geographical disaggregations do not provide sufficiently robust results.

VAT

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the likely  (a) cost to and  (b) time taken by small businesses to implement the proposed changes in the rate of value added tax.

David Gauke: The Impact Assessment published at June 2010 Budget includes information on  (a) compliance costs to and  (b) time taken by a typical small business of implementing the increase of VAT to 20% in January 2010.
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_impact_ assessments.pdf

VAT: Channel Islands

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will bring forward proposals to reduce the maximum monetary value eligible for low value consignment relief to £8;
	(2)  when he expects to make an announcement on the future of the Low Value Consignment Relief scheme applying to the Channel Islands.

David Gauke: As I told the House in my written answer to the hon. Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid) on 13 July 2010,  Official Report, column 661W, the Government are actively reviewing the operation of Low Value Consignment Relief. In assessing the case for change, the Government will take into account the need to balance often conflicting considerations including the impact on consumers, UK businesses and Royal Mail and other parcel operators, as well as the overall fiscal position and the practicality and cost of enforcing any changes to the operation of the relief.
	If it is concluded that changes to the operation of LVCR are desirable, I would hope to be in a position to make announcements by the time of the 2011 Budget.

Welfare Tax Credits

Anne Begg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent research he has commissioned on the link between tax credit taper rates and incentives to work.

David Gauke: The Government review new research and evidence on incentives to work on an ongoing basis, and uses this to inform policy development. A comprehensive review of such research has been prepared for the Commission on Reforming the Tax System for the 21st Century, chaired by Sir James Mirrlees, and can be found at the following address:
	www.ifs.org.uk/mirrleesreview/reports/labour_supply.pdf
	Similarly, HMRC publishes its research as part of its Research Report Series available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/reports.htm

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan and Iraq: Females

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security in relation to  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The Government remain committed to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and subsequent related resolutions. The UK National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325-Women, Peace and Security was launched on 25 November 2010. A copy of the National Action Plan can be obtained from the House Library. It is also available to download from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/global-issues/conflict-prevention/women-peace-security-action-plan
	We are taking a comprehensive approach to supporting the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in Afghanistan.
	Our actions include: providing funding and visible political support to female Afghan MPs; providing support to ensure that National Security Strategy consultations include local women's groups and are set out in a specific country-level plan for UNSCR 1325 in Afghanistan; and providing funding and support to the Criminal Justice Task Force to ensure female prosecutors and judges receive high profile cases and can establish a sustainable career path. These and the other programmes we are undertaking in Afghanistan form part of the broader UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
	In Iraq, we have undertaken a number of programmes in support of UNSCR 1325. For example, we have provided training to empower the Iraqi judiciary in dealing with sexual and gender-based violence and we have equipped women's centres which help to provide wide-ranging training and assistance to Iraqi women.
	We hope to expand the number of specific plans for countries experiencing or emerging from conflict as we review the National Action Plan. Our goal is to fully mainstream the work of UNSCR 1325 across our diplomatic, defence and development activities.

Afghanistan: Human Rights

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to promote human rights in Afghanistan.

Alistair Burt: We continue to press for the Afghan Government to implement the national and international human rights legislation to which it has committed.
	The UK has provided funding to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. We have also provided financial support for the Human Rights Support Unit of the Afghan Ministry of Justice, which opened on 29 September 2010.

Afghanistan: Minority Groups

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Afghanistan on the treatment of religious minorities in that country.

Alistair Burt: We continue to remind the Afghan Government of its duty to abide by its national and international commitments on freedom of religion and belief and to respect the freedom of worship as enshrined in the Afghan Constitution.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will initiate an inquiry into the reasons for the UK incursion into Helmand province in 2006.

Alistair Burt: The Government announced their first deployment of troops to Helmand in January 2006, as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) expansion to the south of the country. Since 2006, the UK's troop presence in Helmand has grown from an initial deployment of 3,150 to approximately 7,700 troops.
	This Government remain committed to the international effort in Afghanistan. Our aim, along with that of other ISAF partners, is that the Afghan National Security Forces should be in a position to take the security lead across the whole country by the end of 2014. The role of UK and other international forces and their number will gradually change as this happens. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is clear that that there will not be British troops in a combat role or in the numbers they are now in Afghanistan in 2015.
	At the present time, there are no plans to initiate an inquiry into the reasons for the UK deployment to Helmand. It would be wrong to consider holding an inquiry while our troops are still risking their lives and while operations are ongoing.

Afghanistan: Prisoners

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of people imprisoned in Afghanistan for converting from Islam to other religions over the last three years.

Alistair Burt: We have received two reports during 2010 of the detention of individuals who have converted to Christianity from Islam. We continue to monitor these cases.

Afghanistan: Said Musa

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the imprisonment in Afghanistan of Said Musa.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of this case and we are working with the international community to monitor developments. We continue to remind the Afghan Government of its duty to abide by its national and international commitments on freedom of religion and belief.

Alliances

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of diplomatic, economic and military ties between North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and the Russian Federation; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We are aware that there are ties between some of these countries. We have an interest in aspects of these relationships which relate to the Government's foreign policy priorities, in particular, counter proliferation, human rights, and economic development.
	Given the number of countries included in this question and the broad areas of interest listed, it would not be possible to compile the information required to answer this question without incurring disproportionate cost.

Arms Trade Treaty

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to prepare for the second Preparatory Committee on the Arms Trade Treaty in February 2011; and which officials of which grades from his Department will attend the Preparatory Committee.

Alistair Burt: The UK continues to engage actively with international partners, representatives from civil society and the defence industry in preparation for the next Arms Trade Treaty Preparatory Committee meeting in February 2011. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is also funding a range of projects in support of the Arms Trade Treaty through its strategic programme fund. Our ambassador for Multilateral Arms Control and Disarmament at the UK Arms Control and Disarmament Mission in Geneva, John Duncan, will lead the UK delegation, supported by appropriate officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government Departments; the precise details of the full UK delegation will be finalised during January 2011.

Balkans: Politics and Government

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will invite the Prime Minister of Kosovo to talks in London to promote a settlement of stability in the Western Balkans.

David Lidington: The Government have no current plans to invite the Prime Minister of Kosovo to visit the UK. Parliamentary elections took place in Kosovo on 12 December and a new Kosovo Government has yet to be formed. The UK looks forward to supporting and working with the incoming Kosovo Government, once formed, in its effort to make further progress towards fulfilling Kosovo's European perspective. We continue to believe that a European future for Kosovo and all its neighbours is crucial for guaranteeing stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans.

BBC World Service: Diplomatic Service

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions his Department has recorded adverse comments from UK embassies and High Commissions in respect of the BBC World Service in the last five years.

Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) carries out an annual survey of its heads of mission on the effectiveness of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World Service in the countries to which they are accredited. Their comments are used for internal discussions of priorities both within the BBC World Service and between the World Service and the FCO.
	Posts overseas have the opportunity to contribute to discussions between the FCO and the BBC World Service on the respective priorities and objectives of the two organisations. They may also comment at other times.
	We do not keep a list centrally of all comments received about the BBC World Service, whether positive or negative. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Belarus: Politics and Government

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the treatment of supporters of democracy in Belarus; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: I am receiving regular updates from officials on the ground on the situation in Belarus. We issued statements on 20, 22 and 31 December 2010, strongly condemning the violence surrounding the presidential election, urging the Belarusian authorities to release those detained for politically motivated reasons and to ensure that all detainees are given access to proper medical care and legal representation. I met the Belarusian ambassador on 22 December to voice my grave concerns in person.
	We have been vocal in advocating a tough EU response to events and encouraged the EU High Representative Baroness Ashton to issue a strongly worded joint EU-US statement, which was released on 23 December 2010. The UK, along with other EU member states, is looking at concrete steps which the EU can take to put pressure on the Belarusian authorities to release political prisoners.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Mauritius on their claim to the Chagos archipelago.

Henry Bellingham: The UK values its bilateral relationship with Mauritius and remains keen to engage with Mauritius on a wide range of issues. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I met Prime Minister Ramgoolam on 3 June 2010 and I met Foreign Minister Boolell on 22 July 2010.
	The offer of a third round of bilateral talks on the British Indian Ocean Territory has been on the table since July 2009 but has not, so far, been taken up by the Mauritian Government.
	The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory which was ceded to Britain in 1814 and has been a British dependency ever since.

British Nationals Abroad: Homicide

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration his Department's consular directorate has given to the merits of the memorandum of understanding prepared by SAMM Abroad; and what response has been sent to SAMM Abroad on the memorandum.

Jeremy Browne: I met with Eve Henderson, Director of Support and Murder and Manslaughter (SAMM) Abroad, on 13 October 2010 to discuss the support we provide to bereaved families, and wrote to her on 22 December 2010. I have been clear in our commitment to work for a joined up approach across the various agencies and Departments involved in responding to a death overseas. My officials are discussing with these agencies what is the best mechanism for ensuring that co-ordination and that bereaved families understand the role of all the relevant agencies in the UK. The proposals from SAMM Abroad are an important part of those discussions.

British Nationals Abroad: Homicide

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of incidences where a bereaved family has been informed through the media of the murder or manslaughter of a relative abroad before being contacted by representatives of his Department.

Jeremy Browne: We have not made such an estimate of this figure because of the considerable resources required to do so. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office works hard to deliver a high level of consular assistance to those involved in incidents abroad including contacting their relatives in the UK. Since 1 November, the assistance provided by Victim Support National Homicide Service is available to anyone in England and Wales if a family member or friend has been killed as a result of a crime abroad. We notify Victim Support within 24 hours of receiving information about a death.

Burma: Human Rights

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to address the human rights situation in Burma.

Jeremy Browne: The Government remain deeply concerned over Burma's human rights record. We seek to raise the issue at every opportunity directly with the regime, with regional countries of influence and in the UN. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed Burma during his visits to China and India, and we continue to work to build international support for the UN to consider a Commission of Inquiry to investigate human rights abuses in Burma. At the UN General Assembly Third Committee, we pressed the regime to improve their human rights record through a toughly worded resolution and the UK will reiterate our concerns during the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review of Burma.

Colombia: Human Rights

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the protection of the human rights of trades unionists in Colombia.

Jeremy Browne: The safety of trade unionists in Colombia remains of great concern. Officials at our embassy in Bogota continue to visit individuals who are under threat and to make representations to the Colombian authorities in cases of violence or intimidation against trade unionists. We raise our concerns regularly with senior Colombian Ministers, and work with unions and employer organisations to strengthen labour relations in Colombia. We are working with the UN on a research initiative to help improve trade unionists' human rights protection and the development of positive labour relations.
	We welcome President Santos' commitment to tackle human rights issues and the Colombian Government's recent announcements recognising that civil society, and specifically human rights defenders, has a vital role to play in overcoming the challenges that exist.
	We should acknowledge this political will. However, it needs to translate into results on the ground. The UK government takes seriously its responsibility to assist in making this happen and continues to work with Colombia to this end.

Commonwealth Local Government Forum

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to strengthen links with local and national governments overseas as part of the biennial conference of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum.

Henry Bellingham: The Government have undertaken to strengthen the United Kingdom's relationship with the Commonwealth and to ensure that the United Kingdom is at the centre of plans to reinvigorate this unique organisation. To achieve this we are working closely with the Commonwealth network and member states. We welcome the opportunity offered by the biennial conference to strengthen relations with key Commonwealth partners, including local governments.

Departmental Press Releases

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions his Department has provided embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010; in respect of how many such briefings his Department was informed that the embargo had been breached; what steps were taken as a result of each such breach; and on how many occasions his Department has provided media briefings without an embargo prior to an oral statement to the House since 26 May 2010.

Alistair Burt: There have been no embargoed or non-embargoed media briefings prior to an oral statement to the House from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 26 May 2010.

EU External Trade

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the letter from the Minister for Europe of 11 November 2010, on the European Union Bill, what his objectives in the EU are for achieving an open external market.

David Lidington: In the current economic climate it is important that the EU focus its efforts on delivering growth for its citizens. A key component to achieving the growth the EU needs will be the furthering opening of external markets. The Government will therefore encourage the EU to use its competence on trade to ensure greater openness globally and within Europe, focusing specifically on progressing the Doha Development Round, completing ambitious EU free trade agreements that deliver for EU (and UK) business particularly those under negotiation with India, Canada, the Mercosur countries and Singapore, and improved market access in key markets notably China.

Government Hospitality: Wines

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who is to take responsibility for the  (a) selection and  (b) purchase of Government wines under his proposals to end the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wines.

Henry Bellingham: The proposal outlined in the Cabinet Office announcement on Public Bodies Reform did not announce the abolition of the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine (GHACPW). The GHACPW will cease to be a registered non-departmental public body. The Government Hospitality wine cellar and the Committee's future role are under review.

Government Hospitality: Wines

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what acquisitions the Government Wine Cellar has made since 1 November 2010.

Henry Bellingham: Since 1 November 2010 Government Hospitality has acquired the following English wines:
	Camel Valley Bacchus Dry 2009
	Chapel Down Chardonnay 2009
	Chapel Down Pinot Blanc 2009
	Three Choirs Willow Brook 2009
	Denbies Cubitt Reserve 2006
	Nyetimber Classic Cuvee Brut 2005.

Hungary: Anti-Semitism

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received reports on allegations of attempts by Hungarian diplomats to disrupt a talk at the Wiener Library in London on the rise of anti-Semitism and hostility to Roma in Hungary.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received no reports via the Diplomatic Protection Group or any other channel relating to Hungarian diplomats attempting to disrupt the recent presentation on anti-Semitism and the hostility to Roma at the Weiner Library.

Iran: Trials

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Iranian authorities on the recent trial of Mrs Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr Afif Maimi, Mr Saeid Rezaie, Mrs Mahvash Sabet, Mr Behrouz Tavakkoli and Mr Vahid Tizfahm.

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have repeatedly expressed our strong concerns about the flaws in the trial of these seven members of the Baha'i community in Iran, and the harsh sentences handed down. I have raised their cases with the Iranian ambassador, and continue to call on the Government of Iran to review their case urgently, and to ensure that no-one in Iran faces imprisonment simply for practising their faith.

Iran: Trials

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Iranian authorities on the recent trial and sentencing of Mr Youcef Nadarkhani.

Alistair Burt: I am aware of the reports that Mr Youcef Nadarkhani has been sentenced to death. Our embassy has asked the Iranian authorities for clarification of the sentence and charges against Mr Nadarkhani. The UK is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. We will continue to urge the Iranian Government to guarantee freedom of religion to all its citizens, in line with its international obligations.

Ivory Coast: Elections

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings the UK diplomatic representative to the Ivory Coast has had with each presidential candidate; and what reports he has received of the conduct of the presidential election in all parts of that country.

Henry Bellingham: Our ambassador to the Ivory Coast met presidential candidates Laurent Gbagbo, Alassane Ouattara and Henri Konan Bédié on 31 October 2010, during the first round of voting. He also met Mr Gbagbo and Mr Ouattara on 28 November 2010 following the second round of voting. On 4 January 2011, the Political Counsellor from the embassy met President Ouattara at the Hotel Golf.
	In line with his certification mandate from the United Nations, the Secretary-General's Special Representative in the Ivory Coast, Mr Choi Young-Jin, has reported on the conduct of the presidential elections. Mr Choi's report confirmed the results of the Independent Electoral Commission which declared Mr Alassane Ouattra as the winner of the election. International monitoring teams including from the EU, also observed the election and reported overall satisfaction with the conduct of the vote.

Japan: Whales

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise at the next Antarctic treaty meeting the issue of compliance by the Japanese whaling fleet with Antarctic treaty provisions in the treaty area.

Henry Bellingham: Whaling is a matter for the International Whaling Commission (IWC), not the Antarctic treaty. It would, therefore, be inappropriate to raise this issue at Antarctic treaty meetings. Nonetheless, I can assure my hon. Friend that the Japanese Government are in no doubt that the UK considers Japan's lethal whaling for "scientific" research wholly unnecessary. We will continue to raise this issue within the IWC and bilaterally as appropriate.

Kashmir

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Government's commitment to stand firm on human rights in all its bilateral relationships, as referred to in the coalition agreement, will inform his Department's policy on Kashmir.

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made it clear that British values, including human rights, are central to UK foreign policy. In Kashmir, the UK continues to call for an improvement in the human rights situation on both sides of the Line of Control and for an end to external support for violence. UK funding supports human rights, conflict prevention and peace-building efforts on both sides of the Line of Control.
	During Foreign and Commonwealth Office oral questions on 14 September 2010, I said "that the British Government works on, and devotes resources to, assisting with conflict resolution in Kashmir, tackling human rights concerns and helping to build confidence on both sides of the line of control. With that confidence, we then continue to ensure that there is a dialogue with the Indian and Pakistan Governments, because the resolution of this long-standing situation is for them, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people."

Kashmir

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his  (a) Indian,  (b) Pakistani and  (c) Kashmiri counterparts on the political situation in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed regional issues including relations between India and Pakistan during recent meetings with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Qureshi and Indian Foreign Minister Krishna. Officials in our high commissions in Islamabad and New Delhi regularly discuss India-Pakistan relations, including Kashmir, with the Governments of Pakistan and India and with interlocutors in Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
	The long standing position of the UK is that it is for Pakistan and India to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, one which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to mediate in finding one. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reiterated this in the Foreign Affairs debate on 27 May 2010.

Kosovo: Elections

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports of fraud in the recent elections in Kosovo.

David Lidington: 297 complaints were submitted to the Kosovo Electoral Complaints and Appeals Panel in respect of the 12 December parliamentary elections in Kosovo. 136 complaints related to the campaign period and 171 to election day. All of the complaints were decided within the legal deadline (16 December). A limited number of complaints about fraud were upheld and the election will be re-run-in full or in part-in five municipalities on 9 January 2011. The Government welcome the prompt handling of the complaints procedure and the decisive action by the Kosovan Central Election Commission to annul results in the affected areas.

Kosovo: EU Enlargement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of Kosovo's application to join the European Union following the results of the recent elections in that country.

David Lidington: Kosovo has not submitted an application for EU membership. But it is a member of the EU's Stabilisation and Association process and is therefore a potential candidate for membership.
	The UK firmly believes that the future of Kosovo, and all the countries of the Western Balkans, is in the EU. The successful holding of Kosovo's first parliamentary elections since declaring independence in February 2008 underlines Kosovo's progress towards meeting the political criteria for EU membership.
	The UK looks forward to supporting the incoming Kosovo Government, once formed, in its effort to make further progress towards fulfilling Kosovo's European perspective. This includes taking forward the reforms recommended in the European Commission's 2010 Progress Report on Kosovo.

Libya: Politics and Government

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received recent reports on the Libyan Government's programme to compensate those who had  (a) property confiscated and  (b) been illegally detained by that Government.

Alistair Burt: We have not received any information on this issue since reports in August 2010 that the Libyan Government were considering compensating some of those who had been wrongfully imprisoned.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of  (a) rockets and  (b) mortar bombs launched into Israeli territory from (i) Lebanon and (ii) Gaza since 1 October 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Israel Defence Force (IDF) provides statistics for the number of rocket attacks from Gaza, but their figures are current only until 7 October 2010. The number of rockets reported fired in 2010 up until this date was 165. We are aware of further attacks since 1 October but are not able to confirm full details.
	We condemn all rocket attacks, Such acts of terrorism are indiscriminate and frequently target civilian populations. We call on all sides to halt acts of violence and focus efforts on a negotiated solution.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions  (a) each Minister and  (b) officials in his Department have had with (i) Arab states and (ii) the government of Israel on discrimination against Jewish communities in Arab states; what the outcomes were of such discussions; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s overseas missions have a responsibility to monitor and raise human rights in their host countries and routinely raise our concerns with host governments, including freedom of religion or belief when appropriate. The Government strongly condemn the continued prevalence of anti-Semitism around the world and promotes policies to tackle this through a range of international organisations.
	The Government's first update report on its work to take forward the recommendations of the 2006 All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism was laid before Parliament on 15 December.
	The report has been produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government with input from eight other Government Departments, including the FCO.
	The FCO continues to support to the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism and our efforts on work against anti-Semitism is given due attention in international organisations.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to Arab governments on securing an end to conflict with Israel since May 2010; what response he has received to such representations; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, myself and other Foreign Office Ministers regularly engage with counterparts across the Arab world and in Israel on a broad range of subjects, including the middle east peace process (MEPP). Most recently I spoke to the Crown Prince of Bahrain about the MEPP on 30 November 2010.
	Securing a two state solution, based on 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the future capital of two states and with a fair settlement for refugees remains a foreign policy priority for my Government. This is important for Israelis, for Palestinians and for the international community including the UK.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the  (a) missile capabilities of Hamas,  (b) testing of long-range rockets by Hamas and  (c) acquisition of high-specification anti-aircraft missiles by Hamas; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports that Hamas continues to acquire and test a variety of weapons. We have long made it clear that the arming and funding of Hamas, and other Palestinian rejectionist groups, is unacceptable.
	We recognise Israel's legitimate security needs. We have underlined the need for Hamas to end rocket attacks on Israel. We call on them to take immediate and concrete steps towards the Quartet principles.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on recognition of the state of Israel as a Jewish state by the Palestinian Authority; what recent representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority on this issue; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to recognise the State of Israel as a Jewish state; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We have received no such representations though we are, of course, aware that the Israeli Government have publicly called on the Palestinian Authority to recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
	The UK does not formally recognise states as being any religion or ethnicity. It is self-evident that Israel is a profoundly Jewish country and has been ever since its foundation more than 60 years ago. All citizens of Israel should be treated equally regardless of religion or background.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he  (a) has taken since September 2010 and  (b) plans to take in 2011 to encourage (i) Palestinian reconciliation and (ii) acceptance of the Quartet Principles by all parties; what discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on such issues since September 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: There is an urgent need for a two state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Since September we have continued to support those working to this end. We are disappointed that peace talks are currently on hold but will continue to work with the US, the parties to the conflict and with our EU and UN partners to secure progress.
	Clearly a negotiated solution will require a degree of consensus among both Palestinians and Israelis, and we will continue to encourage all interested parties to unite in the search for peace. It will also require determination to follow a path of negotiations, not to attempt to force the issue through violence or by creating facts on the ground. We will continue to insist that all parties abide by the Quartet principles.

North Korea: South Korea

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on relations between North and South Korea.

Jeremy Browne: Senior officials have discussed North Korea's nuclear programme, and the recent escalation of tensions in the Korean Peninsula, with their US counterparts in New York and Washington, in particular since the events of 23 November 2010 when North Korean shelling killed four South Korean citizens.

Occupied Territories: Housing

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Israel on settlements in the West Bank.

Alistair Burt: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made clear, we are disappointed that Israel has not renewed the freeze on settlement construction and that peace talks are currently on hold. It is Britain's longstanding view that settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. Our ambassador to Tel Aviv has made our views clear in the course of his discussions with the Government of Israel. We have also underlined our views to the Israeli embassy in London.

Palestinians: Economic Situation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on levels of economic development in the West Bank; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We regularly monitor economic developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The most recent reports from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, feeding into that of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, show that the west bank economy is doing well, though with significant reliance on external financial assistance.
	We are encouraged by the progress the Palestinian Authority under Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's leadership has achieved in recent years and commend it for its sound economic management, security improvements and focus on encouraging investment.
	We welcome the World Bank's assessment that
	"if the Palestinian Authority maintains its current performance in institution building and delivery of public services, it is well positioned for the establishment of a State at any point in the near future".
	However, sustainable growth remains dependent on the lifting of restrictions to movement and access and a negotiated two state solution.

Peru and Colombia: EU External Trade

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to lay before Parliament the secondary legislation required for UK ratification of the EU Free Trade Agreement with Peru and Colombia.

Jeremy Browne: Negotiations on the EU-Andean Free Trade Agreement were concluded in May 2010. The agreement is now going through legal scrutiny. The text will then be translated into all member state languages. After this stage European Council legal advisers will be able to determine officially whether the agreement is mixed competence. If it is, the agreement will need to be ratified by national Parliaments. This is the point at which the process of secondary legislation would begin. We would expect the UK ratification process to begin both in late 2011 or 2012, and for it to take several months to complete the secondary legislation.

Russia: Politics and Government

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the level of compliance of the Russian Federation with its international obligations on the rule of law and democratic processes; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Government support President Medvedev's focus on the need to strengthen the rule of law and improve democratic processes in Russia, as part of his modernisation agenda. We encourage Russia to play an active part in a rules-based international system, and support Russia's application for membership of the World Trade Organisation.
	The Government's assessment of Russian compliance with their international obligations on the rule of law and democratic processes will be contained within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Command Paper on Human Rights, due to be published in March 2011.

UK Membership of EU

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the letter from the Minister for Europe of 11 November 2010, on the European Union Bill, for what reasons his Department believes that the present terms of UK membership of the EU are in the national interest.

David Lidington: There are many things about the EU we would like to change. However, membership of the EU gives UK business full access to the world's most important trading zone, comprising 500 million consumers without the barriers of customs or tariffs. This is of great importance to the UK's prosperity. 10% (3.5 million) of UK jobs are reliant on exports to EU member states, the beneficial effect of EU trade on UK households is estimated at between £1,100 and £3,300 per year, UK exports to member states are worth more than £200 billion, and EU Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) comprises 49% of overall FDI to the UK. Under the present terms of membership the UK plays a strong and active role in influencing and shaping developments within the EU, allowing us to further goals essential to the national interest, such as strengthening and expanding the single market, delivering growth, and promoting a resource efficient, low carbon EU economy. The European economic area (EEA) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members, in contrast, have to contribute to the EU budget without being able to negotiate the detail and content of EU legislation, and without receiving benefits such as the exemption from customs requirements and costs.
	In addition, EU membership gives the UK better leverage and negotiating power on the global stage, allowing us to better achieve our international objectives on issues such as freer international trade, conflict prevention, stabilisation, climate change, human rights and development. There are also wide-ranging benefits for UK individuals, such as the right to study and work within the EU, and to receive free or reduced cost health care on temporary visits within EU member states.

Venezuela: Politics and Government

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Venezuela on political pluralism in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We have not made any representations to the Government of Venezuela on political pluralism.
	The National Assembly elections of September 2010 in Venezuela resulted in 10 political parties winning seats. The EU High Representative, speaking for the European Union, welcomed the participation of all political forces in the country and the return to multiparty representation in the National Assembly. Our embassy in Caracas closely follows the political developments in Venezuela, including quality of democracy, and monitors developments closely.

Welsh Language

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department last published a Welsh language scheme in accordance with the provisions of the Welsh Language Act 1993; and at which web addresses such schemes can be accessed in  (a) Welsh and  (b) English.

Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, along with other government departments, is not considered a "public body" under the provisions of the Welsh Language Act (section 21), meaning that it is not required to prepare Welsh language schemes. No such scheme has therefore been published.
	Consular directorate provides the summary of its guide to consular services, in the Welsh language as a PDF on the main FCO website:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/2855621/welsh-summary
	A hard copy of this summary can be provided on request.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Morocco on the conditions of Saharawi people in the occupied Western Sahara.

Alistair Burt: I raised the issue of Western Sahara during my visit to Morocco in December 2010. During our discussions, I urged the Government of Morocco to consider the benefits of a human rights monitoring presence on the ground as the best way to ensure a balanced picture of conditions in the disputed territory.